The Crown Jewel
by Miyopiyo
Summary: Her Purity, revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse? Rated M
1. Prologue

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter One:** Prologue  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

"Don't you fucking _touch_ her, you sick bastard!"

The yell echoed quite loudly throughout the forest as a young half-demon brandished his sword and waved it threateningly at the wind demon, who sniggered before waving him off nonchalantly.

"It isn't the _human_ I want, you ignorant half-breed. It's the jewel she carries," he said in a smooth, seductive voice. The woman behind the said 'half-breed' froze again, the sound of the demon's voice shaking her to the very core. "Of course," the demon purred, "it wouldn't hurt to have the girl too…"

Inuyasha growled menacingly and stood closely to his bitch, who had collapsed to the ground due to the sensations she was receiving. He moved in front of her, intent of becoming a barrier so she could regain her composure.

"Get up, Kagome," Inuyasha hissed, nudging her slightly with his foot but not taking his eyes off of the threat. "You can beat him, just _get up_…"

Beside him, Miroku took up the same position with his companion, Sango, who was leaning heavily on her Hiraikotsu, her violently shaking knees ready to give out any moment.

Kagome snatched the leg of Inuyasha's hakama, trying to stand herself up, but a sudden breeze caressed her body intimately and she fell back to the ground, trying hard to stifle her moan. Sango collapsed to the ground as well, panting heavily, her nails digging into the earth beneath her.

Not even seconds after, the wind demon charged, his long talons protruding in front of him for an offensive attack. He went for Miroku first, knowing that the human wouldn't be as strong as the half-breed, but was blocked when the monk used his staff as a barrier and slammed two fingers into the unsuspecting demon, straight into one of the major pressure points.

The wind quickly carried the demon away into the trees, where he was visible only to Inuyasha, and massaged his right arm, trying to get the blood flowing again.

"Damn monk…" the demon hissed, ceasing his attempts to move his arm when he realized that it was in vain. "Should have known a priest would know about pressure points…"

His talons had reduced to small claws while he worked his arm; his hand looked almost that of a human's, but the talons sprouted once more as he flew from the tree and at the monk again. This time, he was charged by Inuyasha and narrowly avoided the dangerous strike that the half-demon threw.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed, jumping backwards and preparing for defense as the demon came flying at him, his long fangs bared.

"Filthy half-breed!" the wind demon snarled, slashing wildly at Inuyasha with his good arm. Inuyasha blocked with his sword in one hand and raised the other to bring down in a deathly swipe, but then the breeze picked up harder than ever, blowing dirt into his eyes. Falling back, Inuyasha heard Miroku take over as he furiously rubbed at his eyes, cursing all the while.

Meanwhile, Sango used her boomerang to stand up on her knees before forcing herself to her feet. She was red faced and panting heavily, sweat pouring off her in rivers as her legs continued to shake violently. She spared a glance over to Kagome only to see that her friend was already on her feet and notching an arrow. Little Shippo was standing by her feet, pushing against her as if he was the strength keeping her up.

But then, there was another breeze that forced its way through her slayer outfit. Sango cried out and fell back to her knees, her hands clutching her Hiraikotsu. Beside her, Kirara growled and nudged her side, willing her to stand up, but she couldn't.

The wind continued to caress her, and Sango found that she couldn't control the way her hips bucked towards the draft. She bit her lip, trying not to cry out again. It felt like all of the energy was being drained out of her.

"Sango!" Miroku cried while dodging a hard punch from the demon. With a war cry of outrage, the monk pushed heavily back on the wind demon and slashed at him with the tip of his staff, cutting a very thin line through his cheek.

The demon reared back, cupped his bleeding cheek, and examined the blood that wiped off on his hand. He smirked and leisurely licked the blood away as the wound began to heal. Then, with a flick of his hand, the wind shifted once more and a wave of dirt flew up in Miroku's face, blinding him temporarily until he was shoved roughly aside.

"Out of the way, Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted. All Miroku heard was the loud clash of talons against steel and quickly rolled away to the side, not wanting to be in Inuyasha's way if the fight came towards him.

Inuyasha quickly distracted the demon from Miroku as he rolled away before shooting a quick glance at Kagome. She had collapsed to the ground again, but was on her knees and setting her bow and arrow into position, sweat trickling on her brow and her entire body shaking violently.

Catching his breath, Inuyasha shoved the wind demon away with a powerful thrust of Tetsusaiga and reared back, lifting the sword above his head.

"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha roared before bringing the blade down before him and covering his eyes as a tornado of dirt and dust flew up from the ground.

The demon laughed loudly. "Foolish half-breed!" he sneered, swiftly flicking a hand that settled all the dirt into the ground. He didn't notice the glowing arrow headed straight for him. "You think a wind-based attack can affect _me_? I am the—" but he was cut off as Kagome's arrow pierced through his back and out of his chest, jerking his entire body forward as he cried in pain. Spinning around, the demon instantly charged upon the sight of Kagome, who had fallen back down to the ground, panting heavily.

In that moment, Kilala charged the demon, knocking him aside in his uncontrolled rage. Howling in outrage, the demon released a large breath and was lifted into the air, clutching the hole in his chest that refused to heal.

"Damn priestess…" the demon gasped, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Then, he turned in the air and attempted to fly away, but was stopped when a large weapon flew in front of him. Any closer and his head would have been gone.

"Not so fast…" said Sango as she stood on wobbly legs, absolutely furious that her body was betraying her like this. The force of catching Hiraikotsu nearly knocked her over again, but she remained on her feet and threw her boomerang, again narrowly missing the demons head.

With a sneer, the demon sent another gust of wind towards both Kagome and Sango, inhaling the air deeply when their bodies convulsed and fell to the ground.

Sudden rage surging through him, Inuyasha lifted his Tetsusaiga and slashed it across the wind, screaming for Miroku to take Kagome and Sango to cover.

When the coast was clear, Inuyasha cried "Adamant Barrage!" and quickly jumped back as a series of sharp, pointed crystals fell from the skies, smirking as the demon was forced to use his powers to block the attack. Raising Tetsusaiga above his head again, Inuyasha brought it back down in a flurry of dust and yelled, "Backlash Wave!" He closed his eyes against the debris that flew around. When everything settled, he looked up and searched intently, lifting his head to sniff out the enemy when he spotted several pieces of flesh trying to slide toward each other.

"Get the shard, Kagome!" Inuyasha demanded, not wanting the demon to have time to regenerate his body. Nodding, Kagome stood on shaky legs and ran towards a large chunk of bone in the middle of the bloody pile and pulled out a small, pink shard. The demon disintegrated into dust, taking the terrible smell with it.

Everyone except Inuyasha heaved huge sighs of relief. The half-demon instead hauled his blade over his shoulder and smirked at them all.

"That wasn't so hard."

Ignoring him, Kagome and Sango leaned against the bark of a tree, panting heavily. Kagome held her stomach tightly.

"I feel…violated…" she said softly, her hand twitching.

Sango nodded in agreement and took a deep, rattling breath. "I think a bath might be a good idea."

Overhearing them, Inuyahsa sniffed out a hot spring and pointed the direction to it, but immediately set the rules when he saw the girls jump up and gather their supplies.

"You're not going alone—"

Before the rest of his sentence was out, Kagome chucked a large stone at his head and hissed, "—And _you're _not going to come with us!"

"Like _Hell_ I'm not, wench!" Inuyasha snarled, ignoring his demon as he cried in outrage. "I need to be around to protect you!"

"We can protect ourselves!" Kagome argued.

"Like you did against this wind demon?" Miroku stated wisely, lifting an eyebrow. Kagome and Sango blushed and squirmed under his gaze.

"We just weren't prepared—" Sango started, but was cut off by Inuyasha.

"So you think that you'll be _more_ prepared if you're naked in a hot spring?" he said, his eyes narrowed and dismissing the mental images of a naked, wet Kagome.

"Shippo and Kilala will be there, too, right?" Kagome said, gesturing to the smallest two of the bunch, both of whom nodded enthusiastically.

"_Shippo_ can't protect you! He's too small!" Inuyasha said angrily. He quickly cleaned Tetsusaiga and stored the weapon in its sheath and stomped towards his woman. "You're not going into the forest unprotected!"

Sighing in exasperation, Kagome waved a hand at him dismissively and returned to gathering some bathing supplies, ignoring him. Sango quickly followed suit and Inuyahsa and Miroku gaped at them.

"Wench—" Inuyasha started, reaching a hand out to her, but Kagome quickly side-stepped him and stormed off to the springs, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala trailing loyally behind her. Baring his teeth in frustration, Inuyasha grabbed Miroku by the neck of his robes and followed them.

When they reached the spring, the girls had already set down their supplies and waited impatiently for the men to hurry their butts up. When they arrived, Kagome and Sango gave them each a menacing warning glare and didn't strip until they were both turned around, facing the way they came.

"Stupid wench…" Inuyasha muttered. He plopped down on the soft earth and crossed his arms and feet.

Miroku followed him and sat down, trying to refrain from turning and peeking at the girls as they stripped and splashed around in the water.

"I think they might take a while," Miroku said, his eyebrows furrowing. Inuyasha grunted in acknowledgement, but didn't answer. Deciding to continue, Miroku said, "They both said they felt…_violated_…"

The word struck a cord in Inuyasha. Stiffening, he shifted his hold on Tetsusaiga and growled. "It means we failed as protectors," he replied softly, locking his eyes on a tiny ant that was crawling past him slowly. Miroku didn't answer. For a long while they sat there motionless, listening to the girls soaking quietly in the water.

"We've never faced anything like that before, have we?" Kagome murmured, scrubbing at her body ferociously.

Sango sighed angrily, blushing. "Whenever the wind touched me…It was like the energy was being sucked right out of me," she said, grabbing the soap and lathering her wash cloth. Kagome sighed and leaned back on the rocks, closing her eyes.

"It must have been an energy gathering technique…" she said soflty.

"Are you two okay?" Miroku asked. He was in the middle of turning around when Sango growled at him.

"Don't you _dare_ turn around, pervert! I'm too tired to clobber you right now…"

Hearing the exhaustion in her voice, Miroku complied and waited patiently until they were finished. But it took a very long time; the sun was already beginning to fall when he felt his head begin to bob to the side; he was exhausted. The demon had attacked them very early in the morning, after all. Just as he was about to fall into a deep slumber, he was shaken roughly awake and glared groggily up at Inuyasha, who was standing and walking towards the spring.

Turning, Miroku shook himself out of his sleep and followed, realizing that the girls and Shippo had fallen asleep in the hot spring.

Inuyasha gently pulled Kagome out of the spring, not wanting to wake her, and removed his haori, blushing madly and looking at everything but at her naked body. He draped the red cloth over her and lifted her into his arms, plucking up a sleeping Shippo by his tail as he did so.

He proceeded to gather all of their supplies and waited for Miroku to pick up Sango so they could leave.

"They can protect themselves, huh?" Inuayasha said sarcastically. Miroku chuckled and the group slowly walked back to camp, unaware of a dark presence lurking just behind them.

When they were out of sight, Naraku held up a hand to Kanna, and she removed the powerful barrier around them. Then, his eyes narrowing, he waited for the hanyou to pick up his scent, the smirk on his lips widening.

Soon, that damned priestess would lose her ability to track shards. He'd make sure of that.

* * *

YAY! Chapter one of the revised version of _Her Purity_ is finally complete! Haha that took a really long time to do. Anyway, I think I got off on a good start in the beginning, but I started getting lazy again (surprise, surprise,), and I don't think I did as well on the ending as I could have. And I don't really think that this is much of a prologue… Oh well, overall, I think the chapter is pretty okay, but what do you think?

Review Please!

Miyopiyo


	2. Taken

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Two:** Taken  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

Inuyasha took a tentative sniff at the air and winced, suddenly wishing that he hadn't killed the wind demon after all as Kagome's scent wafted up to his nose. His body stiffened and he looked down at the sleeping girl, who had turned over in her sleeping cocoon, her hand on her stomach and a pained look on her face.

He turned away quickly as her scent once again floated by his sensitive nose and grasped the tree branch he was perched on tightly, taking in deep breaths of her. The smell she was emitting was intoxicating—which could only mean that she was going into heat.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha growled furiously at himself for thinking about his companion in that way, but couldn't help it when he jumped to the ground next to her and crouched down, staring at her through half-lidded eyes. Kagome moaned about something in her sleep, and Inuyasha found that it was quite difficult to keep his hands from twitching in want of grabbing her and eloping somewhere to couple.

He closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like to love Kagome, but snapped them open and ground his fists into the earth beneath him, hissing curses that could only be heard by a demon with excellent ears. He would have to suffer a couple more days of this stimulating scent until the blood was released. Then, he would have to wait out until her next cycle.

Under normal circumstances, Inuyasha wouldn't even be here right now; he always fled into the forest whenever Kagome went into heat, but after the events with the wind demon from earlier yesterday morning, Inuyasha found that he just couldn't pull himself away from the girl, nor away from the memories of how she had shivered in pleasure, or how she gripped him tightly as she tried to compose herself, or that blush that covered her cheeks that displayed her wanton desire.

Inuyasha stood and examined the rest of his pack. Everyone but himself was sleeping peacefully, but ready to jump into action if need be… except Kagome. Feeling a smirk tug at his lips, Inuyasha looked down at his bitch, who lay sprawled across her sleeping bag, her mouth wide open with a bit of drool beginning to seep from the edge of her mouth. Inuyasha thought she never looked more gorgeous.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha was about to return to his perch when a foul stench assaulted his nose, making his eyebrows furrow and his ears twitch.

_It couldn't be_, he thought, disbelief flooding him. He gripped Tetsusaiga anyway, his hand twitching over the hilt of the sword as he heard Miroku stretch somewhere behind him.

"Do you feel that, Inuyasha?" the monk asked. The half-demon visualized his companion fumbling with the prayer beads around his wrist uncertainly.

Inuyasha decidedly ignored Miroku and concentrated on the massive force that was emanating from the right of their camp. He knew something was up this time, but what was it? So far, there was really nothing different from their last encounters with the foul half-demon, and Naraku had always been one to toy with his food before he ate it, so what was giving the inu hanyou such a terrible feeling in his stomach? Inuyasha spent what felt like hours pondering what Naraku was up to, trying to contemplate his next move when a familiar scent flitted about his nose. Blinking in confusion, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes on the tree line of the forest.

"Kikyo?" he said softly. Suddenly, he knew what message Naraku was trying to get across.

_Come alone_.

Hand clenched tightly over Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha spared one last glance to Kagome, who was still sleeping peacefully before hissing, "Make sure she's safe" to Miroku and sprinting away, disappearing into the forest.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled. He began to take off after his irrational friend, but he paused and looked at Kagome, and then Sango. Giving one fleeting look toward the trees, Miroku fell back with clenched fists before he set to wake the girls and Shippo.

oOo

Inuyasha could feel the adrenaline rush through his body and welcomed it, knowing that he would need any help he could get. What the hell was Kikyo doing with Naraku? _Again_? Inuyasha felt his lips pull back into a snarl and his legs run faster. A growl tore itself from his throat as he thought of the possibilities. If Naraku hurt her… Inuyasha shook his head. Kikyo was capable of taking care of herself. At least, that's what she told him.

He lost track of how far and how long he had been traveling. His feet pummeled into the ground beneath him, leaving obvious tracks of whereabouts to anything or anyone that wanted to find him. It wasn't until later that Inuyasha realized that he shouldn't have been so careless. His mind was back with Kagome, who had a knack for finding him when he least wanted to be found. And he _definitely_ didn't want Kagome to be in the middle of him and Naraku. But it would be fine, Inuyasha assured himself. Miroku was with her, and so was Sango and Kirara; and Shippo would put his life on the line in order to protect his surrogate mother (though Kagome probably wouldn't let it come to that). They would make sure she didn't stray far from camp, and if she did, they would follow. Either way, she would be protected.

Inuyasha put his thoughts on hold. Naraku's stench was getting stronger and stronger by the second. He was almost there. Inuyasha put all concentration on his limbs, willing them to carry him faster to his destination. He could feel the anxiety pump through him and the bad feeling from earlier worsened. He was just about to contemplate this gut-wrenching feeling when Naraku's scent became unbearable and he stopped, his body rigid as he finally spotted the spider demon, along with a familiar, stone-cold priestess.

"Kikyo…" Inuyasha said, his voice soft. His previous lover wasn't injured or being threatened like he imagined her to be in Naraku's presence. Instead, she looked quite healthy and very capable to move about on her own. Neither seemed to have noticed his presence, and if they did, they ignored him.

If she wasn't hurt, then what the hell is she doing around Naraku? Inuyasha asked himself. He felt his anger start to build up. Was she under Naraku's control? Was he using some low-handed trick to manipulate her? Inuyasha was about to step onto the scene when he heard their voices and paused, retreating back behind a large tree.

"…the rest will be returned to you," Naraku finished. Though Inuyasha was behind the spider demon, he could tell that there was a cold smirk on his face. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes on Kikyo, who had an indifferent expression on her face. She looked at her hand before pressing it over her chest, where her heart would be.

"I'll be whole again," she whispered softly. Inuyasha wondered what she meant and ignored the way his stomach flipped uncomfortably.

"Yes. Isn't that what you want?" Naraku stirred. "Not to mention no competition."

"And the catch?" Kikyo asked, her face hard. Inuyasha felt his stomach drop. Why? Why was Kikyo striking a deal with his worst enemy?

Naraku chuckled laughter, his head lowering until his eyes were shadowed by his long hair.

"Help me find the rest of the shards," Naraku said in a smooth voice. "That's all I ask, Kikyo. Do this, and I'll make sure you get your end of the bargain."

Inuyasha clenched his fist and walked out from behind the tree, a furious expression on his face. Kikyo immediately locked her eyes on him, an unidentifiable look in her eyes, though her face remained stoic. Naraku took his sweet time turning around, an air of great surprise surrounding his aura.

"Ah, Inuyasha," he greeted, a nasty smile forming on his face. "We were wondering when you would show up." But Inuyasha had the feeling that Naraku knew he was already there beforehand.

He snapped his eyes from Naraku to Kikyo, who stared back coldly. "We?" he repeated.

"Where's the girl you're always with? My reincarnation?" Kikyo asked, her eyebrows beginning to furrow.

"Her name's Kagome," Inuyasha spat. "If you're going to talk about her, at least get her name right."

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at his tone and her hand clenched on her bow. Inuyasha knew he shouldn't have been so harsh with her, but his feelings were getting the better of him; his _anger_ was getting the better of him. _What was Kikyo thinking?_

"Speaking of," Naraku said slyly. His posture ever so straight, he strode to where Kikyo stood and twirled a lock of her hair between his fingers, chuckling when the dead woman didn't notice. "We were just talking about your little," he paused, clenching the hair tightly, "_friend_."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked quickly. His hand, still settled over Tetsusaiga, grasped the hilt and slowly began to pull it from its sheath.

"You see, Kikyo?" Naraku said softly in her ear. "Look at him; he's already replaced you with her, and you know it, don't you?"

"Kikyo, what is he talking about?" Inuyasha asked, a puzzled look adorning his features.

"Just help me and the only woman he'll ever look at again is _you_," Naraku pressed, circling Kikyo until he was on her opposite side. "It'll be so easy, too."

"_What is he talking about?_" Inuyasha asked again with a type of urgency in his voice. "Tell me, Kikyo!" His breath was becoming labored the longer he waited. The feeling in his stomach had worsened to the point that he was beginning to feel sick, and he gnashed his teeth together angrily.

"You see, Inuyasha," Naraku started in a low voice. "Kikyo has been waiting a long time for—"

"That's enough."

Both men looked at Kikyo, who was staring at Inuyasha in the eye.

"You promised me," she said flatly.

Inuyasha was taken aback, but knew better than to let his guard down around Naraku.

"What?"

"You promised you would go to Hell with me," Kikyo hissed, a hint of anger seeping onto her face. Behind her, Naraku smirked and slowly released the hair, a malicious glint in his eyes.

Inuyasha pointedly ignored Kikyo, though his upper lip pulled back into a ferocious snarl, showing his long fangs as he addressed Naraku. "You ready to die, bastard?" he asked, but his mind was in no state of preparation for battle. Kikyo's words seemed to echo inside his head in a never ending mantra. Why would she bring that up again?

"Now, now," Naraku said in a mock soothing voice. "It seems that Kikyo may have taken me up on my offer."

Kikyo stiffened slightly, but didn't respond.

"What offer?" Inuyasha was growing tired of asking questions. What the hell was going on? Naraku seemed to read the expression on Inuyasha's face, for his smile morphed into an evil smirk as he pointed in the direction that Inuyasha came.

Inuyasha didn't know what Naraku was doing or what was going to happen, but before he could say a word, a scream, so soft that he could barely hear it, filtered through his ears and into his brain, and almost immediately, Inuyasha identified it as Kagome. Eyes widening, Inuyasha looked at Kikyo, who had the smallest of smirks forming on her lips.

"My _reincarnation_ will pay for the mistakes you have made, Inuyasha," she said in a cold voice.

Naraku huffed in laughter as the dog demon suddenly disappeared from sight, dust trailing after him as he sprinted back to his friends.

oOo

No! No, no, _no!_ Naraku had set up a trap and he had fallen for it; and now Kagome was going to pay! Inuyasha cursed himself as he practically flew back to the campsite. Why did he let himself be fooled again? What the hell made him throw caution to the wind and let Kagome out of his sight? _Why was he so stupid?_

And Kikyo—how could she betray him like this? Inuyasha shook his head, the conversation playing out in his mind like a movie. Kikyo wanted the rest of her soul—no, _Kagome's_ soul, and to do that she needed to help Naraku find the rest of the jewel shards. But the only way to get Kagome's soul…

Inuyasha felt his face pale considerably.

Running faster than he ever did in his life, Inuyasha tackled the trees and animals that got in the way of him and Kagome. He wouldn't let it happen. _No one_ will take Kagome from him! Especially not some freak like Naraku.

"_Damn it!_" Inuyasha cursed. His breathing was becoming more and more labored as he ran. The adrenaline rush from earlier had dissipated long ago. He heard more screams from far ahead of him, his ears twitching. He was still much too far from the fight—from Kagome. There was the distant sound of trees moaning as they fell over and he could just barely make out the sounds of a cackling fire. The pungent waft of burning wood and cloth wafted up to his nose until finally, the stench of blood suffocated him, but became the energy that he needed to push himself further. That was Kagome's blood.

But something was wrong. There was something hindering him in his running, but he didn't know what. He was going slower and slower. Not only that, it was becoming harder and harder for him to smell and hear what was going on with his friends. Realization dawned and Inuyasha grabbed a lock of his hair, his eyes widening in horror as it changed from a bright sliver, to a dark black.

He was human.

"Son of a _bitch!_" Feeling his stomach plummet, Inuyasha ignored the change and ran as fast as he could with his human legs towards the fight. He felt his muscles begin to seize up and his lungs felt like they were about to explode, but he couldn't stop. Kagome's safety was the incentive he was running off of now, and that was enough to keep him going.

oOo

It felt like hours had passed when loud screams and war cries finally made it back to his ears, and though it meant certain destruction, Inuyasha welcomed it gratefully. He was close—so close, until finally, the scent of blood and smoke wound its way through his nose and Inuyasha was staring at his devastated campsite.

The tents were gone; burnt to a crisp, the ashes littering the ground and turning it black. Trees had fallen everywhere around their camp, most of which were still lit on fire. The smoke blocked the rest of his view and was painful for his already exhausted lungs to take in. It couldn't clear away fast enough, but when it did, Inuyasha took a quick glance at his beaten and battered friends before searching for the most important person in the world to him; Kagome. It wasn't long after that he felt a hand on his shoulder. Inuyasha spun around, hoping to see Kagome, but came face to face with a bloodied Miroku, who shook his head. Inuyasha frowned, beginning to get worried, but his worst fears came to life when he saw Sango, who sat on the ground clutching one of Kagome's uniform shirts, tears leaking from her eyes. The stars peeked from behind the dark blue sky, winking at Inuyasha as if to mock his stupidity as realization hit him for the second time that day. He was too late.

Kagome was gone.

* * *

WOW! You know, re-reading the reviews for this story REALLY pushed me to finish this chapter; it's been sitting on my hard drive for months because I couldn't figure out what to do with it. Anyway, I know that the conversation between Naraku and Kikyo (Hater!) is really dodgy, but I think I made it clear about the deal that was being made right then.

I know. OOC. I realized in the previous version of this story that Kikyo had absolutely nothing to do with the plot at all, and, well, given her past with Inuyasha, I figured I might as well throw her in this, too. Besides, since I'm (obviously) an InuxKag fan, this'll just help end Kikyo's and Inuyasha's relationship and push along Kagome's and Inuyasha's.

Thanks for reading!

Review please!

~Miyopiyo


	3. Transition

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Three:** Transition  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

_"…not long after you left…"_

_"…two puppets…sabotaged…"_

"No…" a weak voice moaned.

_"Kagome's arrow…backfired…punctured her side…"_

"No…" the voice said again, a type of urgency behind it that instilled worry and denial.

_"Protective barrier…"_

The face of a woman flashed suddenly; her skin was deathly pale and her eyes, cold and haunting.

"No…"

_"…so much blood…"_

_"He beat us…and he took her…"_

"No…"

_"He took Kagome…"_

_"…she's gone…"_

_"…Kagome's gone…"_

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha snapped his eyes open and winced, closing them immediately and shielding them with his hand to protect from the bright fire that cackled before him. Upon touching his forehead, he felt a cold wetness and hastily wiped away his sweat before slowly sitting up, his head pounding. He gasped quietly, his breath coming out in small coughs as he shuddered. The voices echoed ominously in his head. It took him a minute to remember what they were saying and even longer to attribute those two voices to Sango and Miroku. They bounced off the inner walls of his mind, his brain processing their words over and over again to try and understand what his heart could not.

Regaining his composure, Inuyasha lifted his head and found Sango kneeling by his side with a small towel. He pulled back at her proximity, but accepted the pro-offered towel without hesitation until he noticed something about his hand that had his heart racing twice as fast as before. With blunt-nailed fingers, Inuyasha brought his hand to his head and grabbed a lock of hair, cursing loudly at the dark color. He was still a human.

"What happened…?" he asked Sango in a hoarse voice. Sango bit her lip. She fiddled with her fingers and opened her mouth, ready to speak when he suddenly help up a hand to silence her. It was all rushing back to him in a pounding headache.

He had continued his search for Kagome until his exhaustion finally got the better of him and he collapsed. He felt like he couldn't breathe, but he had questioned Sango and Miroku regardless from where he laid face first on the ground. They didn't answer him at first and primarily focused on helping him, but he didn't deserve the treatment. He wasn't even there to help, and therefore didn't deserve to rest. They had finally answered him the second time he asked, but their answers were broken and hesitant as they watched his expressions change. He didn't need sight or scent to know that they were both fearful of what he would do; their auras could tell him everything. Though he wasn't as strong in this form, he was still a force to be reckoned with.

They had explained to him everything that had happened after he left. Miroku was waking up the girls when the first puppet arrived. They were caught off-guard by the sudden arrival, thinking that he, Inuyasha, had left to head Naraku off earlier. They fought him valiantly, but sustained many injuries. Sango was hit with her own weapon, Hiraikotsu, and though it wasn't enough to kill her, it knocked her out of the fight for a good while until she was recovered enough to help again. Kagome was trying to salvage the small amount of bows she had left by fighting with her bow, pushing her purifying powers into it and wielding it like a sword. Miroku was hindered when he was thrown aside and hit his head on a rock, but he had been the first to notice the second puppet that had sneaked up behind the group. Kirara had been speared by a tentacle from the second puppet and thrown onto the tents, which had caught on fire because of her flaming paws. She struggled to untangle herself and in doing so, discarded the burning tent to the tree line and returned to the fight. The forest had caught fire and the smoke was so thick that everyone was brought to their knees, scrambling for breath. After that, Kagome had pulled out one of her arrows and shot it. No one knew how or why it happened, but when the arrow touched the second puppet, it had a whiplash effect and reflected back to Kagome, hitting her in the side. Incapacitated, Miroku and Sango could do nothing as Kagome fell to the side, only to be caught by one of the puppets and hauled away. More than an hour had passed since she was taken; the fire died down and the smoke was clearing. Then, Inuyasha arrived, but was much too late to be of any use.

After that, Inuyasha had tried to get back up again, asking them what they were doing, telling—_demanding_ that they go and get Kagome back, but his body wouldn't cooperate. His muscles ached, his head hurt, his lungs were suffering. Sango had called him a fool for thinking that they could go on a rescue mission in their condition. They would head out as soon as possible, but required _at least_ several hours of rest. Their primary source of transportation was Kirara, and she was still recovering from a puncture wound in her side. "Besides," Sango had said to Inuyasha, "what will you be able to do while you're human?"

He had passed out soon after that from exhaustion. It was already night fall when that happened, and, looking up at the sky, Inuyasha calculated that he must have been out for only a couple of hours, as the sky was still as dark as ever. Breathing heavily, Inuyasha inquired Sango about Miroku, whom she said had fainted not long after he did.

"He lost a lot of blood because of his head wound," she said softly. She then looked in his eyes in silent question. Inuyasha stared back, assessing her for a minute before looking at Miroku, who lay sleeping on the opposite side of the fire. Half of his head was bandaged heavily, but blood was already beginning to seep through. He looked pale.

"We'll take him to Kaede's before we leave," Inuyasha said with a nod of his head. "How're you? Are you injured badly?" he asked. Despite his half-demon powers, Inuyasha knew that he would need as much help as he could get.

Sango shook her head negatively. "Just bruised my side a bit. Nothing time won't heal," she said.

"Has Kirara healed yet? We should hurry and take Miroku back."

Hearing her name, Kirara gingerly sat up and gave a big, jaw-cracking yawn before transforming. She pawed over to Sango and nudged her side before licking her owner's hand.

"Her muscles are a bit sore, but she'll be fine," Sango affirmed. With that, Inuyasha hauled the unconscious Miroku on Kirara's back and held him there, waiting for Sango to climb behind him to keep him steady. When he was sure Miroku wouldn't fall, Inuyasha quickly examined what he could of the camp in the darkness. The only thing that was still intact was Kagome's huge, yellow backpack. Grabbing it, Inuyasha hauled it over his shoulder easily, as most of the contents have spilled out and are now burnt. He tossed the bag to Sango before climbing on Kirara, who grunted slightly at his extra weight.

Though he always protested assistance from others, Inuyasha knew he couldn't let his pride get in the way this time. Kagome was in danger, and he had to save her.

With Kirara growling loudly, the group quickly traveled east towards Kaede's village and the slowly rising sun, not realizing that they had forgotten one, important person.

oOo

Shippo could barely keep the tears from flowing. He clung to Kagome's back, biting his lip so hard that he felt it might bleed to keep from wailing his distress. During the battle, Kirara had accidentally crushed Kagome's quiver when she was thrown into the tents, so he had transformed into a replacement that his surrogate mother could use. He had no idea what was happening in the fight, but the next thing he knew, there was an arrow in Kagome's side and she had passed out from blood loss. He was too frightened to transform back to his regular state and was therefore taken away by Naraku's puppets. He wasn't sure if the puppet noticed that he was there, but if he did, he took no notice of the small fox, but for safety's sake, Shippo refrained from using his crying mushrooms.

It was past nightfall by the time Shippo felt his powers weakening. He had become much stronger due to excessive training with Inuyasha, but he had never held out on a transformation this long before. Trying as hard as he could to remain in the form of a quiver, Shippo squinted his eyes shut in hopes that it would help, but a small squeal of terror escaped him as his tail sprang into view with a small pop.

Everything stopped suddenly. Shippo kept his eyes closed, but soon became restless and squinted one eye open and looked up. Both eyes snapped open in horror.

The puppet of Naraku was gazing down on him, a sinfully amused expression on his face. Shippo began to shiver with fright, whatever arrows that were left inside his quiver jostling loudly. Death was coming and he knew it.

But to Shippo's surprise, the puppet merely chuckled, a dark look in his eyes, before continuing the journey back to Naraku's lair.

oOo

The small group had only been traveling a little over an hour until Kaede's village appeared over the horizon. A bright red hue was beginning to form over the mountains, but the sun hadn't risen enough for Inuyasha to transform back into a half-demon yet. That wouldn't be for another two hours, which hopefully they could use to replenish and recover. Inuyasha argued heatedly that he wasn't going to waste time resting while Kagome was in mortal danger, and stated that they were only going to drop Miroku off before they left, but Sango was adamant in saying that he would get no where while in human form and might as well wait and get whatever rest he can until the sun rose.

"Kagome's been kidnapped by Naraku before, remember?" she asked, ignoring Inuyasha as his eyes narrowed at the memory. "She'll be able to take care of herself." But deep down, Inuyasha knew that it was different.

Last time, Naraku wanted her eyes. This time, he wanted her life.

Miroku had woken up half way through the journey, which Sango and Inuyasha were grateful for as it meant that his head wound wouldn't be fatal. Kaede was already awake by the time they barged into her hut. Not wasting time asking questions, the old priestess quickly set about examining Miroku's injuries and creating a strong herb paste to apply to his head before wrapping it. She also brewed some herbal tea that she served to both Miroku and Sango to ease the pain their bodies were feeling. While she did so, she also told Inuyasha some very surprising news.

"You're brother visited me yesterday," she said flatly. Inuyasha, who had been dozing, shook himself awake and growled.

"_What?_"

"He just came to drop of Rin," Kaede pointed to a small, sleeping figure on the opposite side of the hut. No one had noticed she was there before. "He said he wanted her out of the way of the fight, and I assumed he meant a fight with _you_. But after hearing your story, I think the lad may have gone to find Naraku."

Inuyasha made to stand up, but Miroku's staff slammed into his shoulder, forcing him back down. Pulling back his lips in a snarl, Inuyasha glared at Miroku from the floor before shoving the staff away from his person.

"You'll be killed if you go after him now," Miroku said wisely. Growling in frustration, Inuyasha pulled back his fist and slammed it into the wall. The wood cracked and groaned under the pressure, and Inuyasha's hand began to bleed heavily, but he repeated the action again and again until his knuckles were covered in blood, blisters, and cuts.

It was quiet for a while after that, but it wasn't until Kaede inquired of Shippo's whereabouts that the group realized that the small kit was missing. A lot of worrying ensued thereafter. Inuyasha was cursing nonstop, angry that he lost two packmates as Sango fidgeted nervously before accidentally cracking her mug in her hands. She had grown quite attached to the child and knew him like she knew her own younger brother. Miroku was as agitated as ever, but was constantly told by Sango and Kaede not to aggravate his wound. The tenseness in the room was heavy as everyone waited for the sun to rise completely. There had been much debate between Miroku and Sango about him going to fight as well; he was in far too critical condition to move about so soon, but it was Miroku's fight, too, and he'd be damned if he didn't have a part in taking down Naraku. Sango had reluctantly given in after that and bitterly suggested to Kaede that they go get some supplies together from the village. They returned half an hour later, laden down with herbs, food, and medicinal supplies that they stuffed into Kagome's bag. As they were doing so, Miroku laid his head back, his eyes on Inuyasha, who was sitting cross legged in a dark corner of the hut, waiting for the sun to rise.

"Where were you?"

The question caused Sango to pause in what she was doing, but she hurriedly began to organize her belongings and weaponry.

"I smelt Naraku and Kikyo a few miles away from the camp," Inuyasha replied sourly, a scowl on his face. "I went to see what they were doing." His foot began to tap on the wood floors impatiently. "The sun is going to rise soon. Get ready to leave."

"Kikyo?" Miroku asked, his brow furrowed. He got up and fixed his tangled robes before grabbing his staff.

"She's working with _him_ now," Inuyasha spat. He glared pointedly at Kaede. "Which way did my brother go?"

"Southeast of here," Kaede replied.

"I think that's the same way that we saw the puppets leave," Sango commented. She tightened the buttons to her uniform and straightened out the midsection before beckoning Kirara to her. After a quick examination, she deemed Kirara's puncture wound fully healed.

"Hurry up, then," Inuyasha ordered. "We don't have time to waste." He stepped outside into the bright sunlight and closed his eyes as his transformation finally occurred. He didn't know why he bothered to ask Kaede which way Sesshomaru went; he could sniff him out easily with his nose.

Sango and Miroku barely had time to clamber onto Kirara before Inuyasha took off, the demon cat following behind faithfully. Kaede wished them good luck from the doorway to her hut, but couldn't help the worried feeling that wound itself into her heart.

oOo

"Hurry up, damn it!" Inuyasha yelled behind him. Kirara growled before picking up the pace, but the hanyou was moving much too fast for her to keep up adequately. They were making much progress on their journey; Sesshomaru's scent wasn't getting any stronger, but at least they haven't lost it. Hopefully, Inuyasha's older brother would lead them straight to Naraku.

Inuyasha had told his companions about the entire conversation held between Naraku and Kikyo the day before and growled angrily. They suspected that once Kikyo had agreed to the deal, she set up a powerful barrier around the puppets, which was the reason why Kagome's arrow was deflected.

"He set us up!" the dog demon hissed. "Damn bastard lured me away on my human night to get to _Kagome!_"

"You can't blame yourself for this, Inuyasha," Miroku stated. "Tricking people is Naraku's forte."

"But what about Kagome?" Sango asked fearfully. She gripped Kirara's fur tightly. "If Kikyo wants Kagome's soul, then doesn't that mean—"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha yelled. Baring his teeth in a ferocious snarl, he forced his legs to move faster and faster until he was almost out of sight of the rest of the group. He already knew that Kikyo could only collect the souls of dead girls, but he refused to hear that Kagome would have to die for that to happen. He wouldn't let it happen. He'd save her in time, he swore it.

But something in his subconscious reminded him that Naraku hadn't killed Kagome on sight; Sango said she was positive that Kagome was still alive when she was kidnapped, but that wasn't part of the deal that Naraku and Kikyo had. What was the bastard up to?

Inuyasha had a gut-wrenching feeling that he was about to find out.

* * *

Phew! Chapter 3, done! Anyway, you can probably guess that something terrible is going to happen next, given the summary of this story. It will be WAY more dramatic than in the previous version of this story, but not as graphic, I promise. I was quite disgusted with the way I described the violation of Kagome's body and revolted that I even wrote it in the first place. Most definitely, I will NOT be going into detail (well, maybe a little, but not in the way that you think), but with what's going to happen in the next chapter, well, I don't want to reveal too much.

***Important Note***In this story, Sesshomaru will have BOTH of his arms. I know that he gets them back in the manga/anime, but I don't know the details because I haven't watched the anime in such a long time. All I know is that he gets his signature sword, Bakusaiga, as well. I'm not sure if he still has Tokijin; I heard that it gets destroyed, so could you guys please explain some of what happened to me? Thanks!

~Miyopiyo


	4. Trauma

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Four:** Trauma  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

"Kagome?" Shippo's hesitant voice forced itself into Kagome's brain, making the girl groan and roll over, only to wince and grip her side. "Don't move!" Shippo said. He set down the small bowl he was using to smash medicinal herbs in and rolled Kagome onto her back, trying to be very careful but still a bit clumsy.

"Sh—Shippo?" Kagome groaned. Her side was killing her and her head hurt like crazy. She felt very sick and wanted to go back to sleep, but her pain kept her from doing anything. "What…?"

"You have to be quiet, Kagome," Shippo whispered. His voice cracked slightly and Kagome felt small drops of something wet hit her face. She could easily visualize his frightened face looking around, searching cautiously to see if anyone heard. "He'll hear us and then come back…"

Kagome finally opened her eyes and saw Shippo's small form kneeling near her head, tears streaming down his face and dripping from his chin and onto her.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked. She tried to sit up, but Shippo grabbed her shirt sleeve to pull her back down. Though Shippo was too weak to do much than a small tug, Kagome lay back down anyway, a puzzled expression on her face as she examined her surroundings. Shippo returned to mashing the herbs with a frightened, nervous look adorning his face. "Where are we? What happened?"

"I—I think we're in N—Naraku's lair," Shippo stuttered. Fresh tears filled his eyes and he sobbed quietly in fright. "He—He kidnapped us and b—brought us here!" With extremely shaky hands, Shippo scooped up the herbs and tried to apply it to Kagome's arrow wound, but Kagome gently took it from him and applied it herself, worried over the distressed child. Shippo sat back and held his hands up to his eyes, trying to wipe away his tears.

Kagome had felt the malicious aura since she woke up, but now that she knew that it belonged to Naraku, she began to feel panic course through her. She recalled the fight and how she had obtained her injury. Just how could Naraku have erected a barrier around him? She took a deep breath to calm herself. Now wasn't the time to ponder the fight. She and Shippo were in real danger and had to figure out how to escape.

She looked around the large room they were in and noticed a door on the far opposite side of the room. She moved to get up, ignoring Shippo's protests, and walked to the door, but tripped over something and fell to the floor, a loud yelp of pain escaping her as she landed on her wounded side. Lifting her head, Kagome's eyes widened as she stared at the chain that was attached to her foot. She looked at Shippo and saw that he had one around his small waist. Their chains were attached to separate metal poles, just close enough to each other that they could still have physical contact, but it was impossible to escape.

Her breath catching, Kagome desperately looked around for something she could use to sever the chain, but the only thing within reach was the small, ceramic bowl Shippo had been using. She looked down at it before looking at her own body. Her bloody shirt had lifted a bit to make room for the bandages that were underneath. Speaking of, Kagome looked at Shippo, who was still trying to dry his eyes.

"Where did you get these medical supplies?" she asked. She looked around again, searching hopefully for her backpack. Maybe there was something in there she could use.

"K—Kagura brought them to me," Shippo said. He sniffled and crawled over to where Kagome was. The chain was just long enough for him to lean against her thigh comfortably.

"Kagura?" Kagome asked, surprised.

"Y—Yeah. I was scared at first, but then she said that she had to help you. I don't know why, though…" Shippo trailed off and wiped his nose. Kagome could feel the anxiety growing in her. Why on earth would Kagura want to help her? "She said that your arrow m—missed your vital organs…"

Kagome looked down again, stroking Shippo's head in what she hoped was a comforting manner. But then, she noticed something that made her stop.

"The jewel shards…" she gasped. Her hand left Shippo's head to clasp for the necklace around her neck, then the top of her shirt, but nothing was there. She looked down at Shippo, who had begun crying again.

"He took them!" Shippo wailed, his small hands curling into fists. "I tried to stop him, but he said he'd hurt you!"

Kagome hurriedly lifted Shippo into her arms and hugged him tightly. He sobbed into her shoulder and she couldn't help the small tears that began so escape her own eyes. When Shippo had calmed down enough, Kagome pulled away and wiped his bangs from his eyes.

"I'll be fine, Shippo," she said softly. She kissed the top of his forehead. "I'll be fine, so don't worry about me. Can you tell me how long we've been here?"

Shippo gasped for breath and wiped his puffy eyes again. "I—I don't know, Kagome—I'm sorry, I—" But Kagome hushed him by hugging him again.

"It's all right, it's all right," she whispered comfortingly, though she couldn't help the fear that was beginning to spread and hoped that Shippo wouldn't smell it. "Earlier—when I woke up—you said that he would come _back_. Was he in here more than once?" Shippo froze in her lab before slowly nodding into her chest, his tears soaking through her shirt. "What did he do, Shippo?" she pressed. "Did he hurt you? Please, tell me," Kagome pleaded softly, stroking Shippo's tail softly.

"He—He said that he was—g—going to do things to you after he t—took the shards," Shippo cried, gasping. Kagome felt her heart jump and her blood freeze. Her mind ran through all the possibilities of torture that Naraku probably had planned for her and the thought shook her to the very core.

In a shaky voice, she asked, "W—_What_ things?"

Shippo cried harder than ever. "He w—wants to take away y—your ability to sense the shards!" he whimpered. "I—I didn't understand—h—how he can do that—"

But Kagome understood very well what that meant. Her body completely still, Kagome felt the utter terror filter through her body. Shippo pulled away and looked up at her. She was staring down at him with a horrified look in her teary eyes. The fox kit felt fear well up in him again at his surrogate mothers expression and pulled on her shirt to try and snap her out of it, but nothing worked. Tears poured over her cheeks, landing on Shippo's face and mixing with his own as she held him.

"K—Kagome?" he called tentatively. Kagome shook her head and pulled Shippo to her in a tight hug.

"Don't worry, Shippo," Kagome gasped. She rocked back and forth, her chain tugging on her ankle and her wound stretching painfully. "I—Inuyasha will come for us. Inuyasha will s—save us…" But Kagome's voice broke off and she turned quickly towards the door. There were soft footsteps coming towards their room.

Shoving Shippo behind her, Kagome stood on unbalanced feet and grabbed onto the poll that she was chained too, her lip trembling slightly. She could see the silhouette of a figure outside the shoji door, but its edges were too blurry to make out whether it was male or female.

She waited with baited breath as the door slowly slid open.

oOo

Kagura walked leisurely down the halls of Naraku's castle, one hand resting casually at her side while the other clenched around her fan. The look on her face was unreadable, but the expression in her eyes was one of pure disgust and malice. She walked as slowly as she could on the dark, wooden floors, her feet lifting and falling gracefully with each step she took until she arrived at a large set of double doors with the spider kanji engraved into them; Naraku's room. She knocked and opened the door, not waiting for a reply.

The room she entered was extremely dark, almost black if it weren't for the one window that allowed a small bit of light. The dark shadow of a lone figure in the room beckoned Kagura closer. She obliged reluctantly

"Kagura," said a deep voice.

"Naraku," Kagura spat in return. Naraku chuckled for a moment before reaching into a large, ceramic pot, a thick, red substance pouring out of it as his hand dug for something inside. Kagura's eyes widened, knowing what was coming.

"Did I order you to help the girl?" Naraku asked, despite already knowing the answer. Kagura remained silent, her eyes locked in on the pot. She twitched suddenly and winced as Naraku glanced at her and pulled his hand out of the pot, a pulsing object clutched in his fingers. "Answer me."

"N—No," Kagura gasped. She grunted as Naraku squeezed her heart painfully and fell to the floor, her hand clutching her chest.

"Then why did you do it?"

Again, Kagura remained silent as she tried to pull herself together. Grasping her fan tightly, she tried to stand on her feet, but a small squeeze from Naraku had her collapsing on the floor again.

Naraku chuckled and repeatedly tightened his hand around Kagura's heart, his smile widening as she convulsed on the floor with pain. With his free hand, he beckoned Kanna to him and looked in her mirror, lifting an eyebrow at the sight of the priestess hugging the fox demon. Pulling back, he gave the heart one last, painful pinch before tossing it back inside the blood filled ceramic pot, lifting his hand and licking the blood from his hands.

"This will be the last time you disobey me again, Kagura. Is that understood?"

Kagura hissed as she stood, her body hunched over in pain. "Y—Yes…" she said bitterly.

"Good. Leave."

Without a second thought, Kagura turned and quickly headed towards the exit, slamming the doors loudly behind her as she left. She leaned against them and panted heavily, the pain finally beginning to recede. She looked left and right down the corridors, as if wondering if anyone was watching her, before she turned right and walked down the hall to the room that the priestess and the fox were situated, her defiant nature getting the better of her.

Though she may be one of Naraku's many minions, she did not possess Naraku's same interests, which she was grateful for. It may not be inside her, but she had a heart, and she'd be damned if she let him use it any longer. She was created by him, birthed by him, but she was in no way _similar _to him. She had a mind and a conscience, and that conscience was telling her to do the right thing.

But she couldn't. Kagura knew that Naraku would kill her the instant she tried to set Kagome free, and couldn't risk it. Not now. However, she could try to do something to salvage the little one. Kagura pulled out the long, black cloth she had tucked away in her robes earlier before pausing at the entrance of the door that led to the priestess and fox pup.

Upon opening it, she was not at all surprised to see Kagome using the skinny pole as a shield with the fox cowering behind her, though the kit seemed to relax a bit when he saw who it was.

Sliding the door closed behind her, Kagura walked slowly towards the two, both of whom walked back as far as they could with the chains cautiously. She looked meaningfully at Kagome before glancing down at the child and back up to Kagome again, and then used a single finger to beckon the girl to her. The priestess didn't move at first, but slowly looked down at Shippo before walking, ever so slowly, towards the wind demon. Shippo clung to her leg, not as frightened as he was before, but still cautious.

Kagura gently stroked the black silk cloth she was holding before offering it to Kagome, who looked taken aback.

"You know what he's going to do?" she asked, point blank. Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, her terror consuming her once again before she nodded, though a bit uncertain. "You'll need this," Kagura said, gesturing to the long cloth. Kagome hesitantly took it and tucked it around the neck of her school uniform before backing away again uncertainly. Kagura turned to leave, but Kagome's voice stopped her.

"Why did you help me?" Kagome asked suddenly. Kagura turned around, an unidentifiable look on her face, and, without answering, left the room, sliding the door shut softly behind her.

Kagome didn't know what to make of Kagura's sudden change in attitude, but was grateful because it forced her mind away from what she knew was bound to happen if Inuyasha didn't arrive soon. She looked down at the long black cloth around her neck and fingered it gently, patting Shippo on the head when he asked what it was. Kagome suddenly thought of Shippo's innocence and felt her heart tighten. He was far too young to witness the sin that might occur. Sinking to her knees, Kagome clenched her eyes shut, not noticing Shippo as he clambered into her lap and tugged at the black cloth.

"What is it, Kagome?" he asked. Kagome pulled the cloth from around her neck and held it in front of him before biting her lip, her chin trembling.

"It's a present," she said softly. "For you," she added. Without waiting for Shippo's response, Kagome pressed the thick black cloth over his eyes and tied it in a tight knot behind his head. "This is how you wear it…"

"B—But I can't see anything," Shippo commented, his lip beginning to quake. "I—I can't see you! What're you d—doing?"

Kagome pressed a finger to his lips and hushed him, gasping softly as she cried. She hugged him tightly to her.

"Promise me, Shippo," she started. "That no matter _what_ happens—no matter what you might hear, you will _not_ remove this cloth."

Shippo shook his head, fear beginning to well up in him. "W—What're you—?"

"Promise me!" Kagome interrupted, her voice cracking. Her hands clenched his arms tightly. "_Promise me!_"

"I—I promise!" Shippo cried. His tears were beginning to soak through the cloth.

Kagome sobbed quietly, kissing Shippo on the forehead before holding his little hands in hers. "D—Do you remember that lullaby I taught you a couple of days ago? The one that I sing you to sleep with?"

Shippo nodded, his nose sniffling.

"Sing it, Shippo," Kagome demanded as the door slowly began to open. Kagome felt _his_ presence and held the small fox close to her as his aura began to creep up her spine, making her shiver with fright. "Sing it, and don't _ever _stop!" Kagome wept. She raised his hands to his ears and pressed them tightly to his head so he couldn't hear before carefully pushing him away

"K—Kagome?" Shippo called frightfully. He was about to remove his hands from his ears, but Kagome shouted suddenly.

"Don't, Shippo—" there was a loud rustling. Shippo hastily pressed his hands to his ears again, his eyes moving behind the darkness of the blindfold. "Just _sing it!_" Kagome yelled. She yelped suddenly, crying out in pain.

"Hush, little baby, d—don't say a word…" Shippo started slowly, taking huge gasps in between. He heard Kagome's scream and the sound of tearing cloth and pressed his hands tighter on his head. "M—Mama's gonna buy you a M—Mockingbird…"

Shippo curled his fingers around his pointed ears, anxiety still building within his small body. He could smell Kagome's tears and the foul stench of her blood. "A—And if that M—Mocking bird won't sing, Mama's gonna b—buy you a diamond ring…" Kagome's high pitched screams forced his tears to fall faster.

"I—If that d—diamond ring turns brass—" Shippo sobbed, the volume of his voice escalating until he was almost screaming. His claws dug into the scalp behind his ears, causing him to bleed as Kagome cried for Inuyasha again and again and again. He bent his little fox toes and leaned over on the ground, curling into the fetal position as he heard Naraku's grunts become louder and louder. "M—Mama's gonna buy you a looking g—glass…" Shippo wailed as if suffering agonizing pain as he smelt the terror that filled the room, his entire body shaking. There was a scent there that was unfamiliar to him, something that he didn't like at all. Not remembering the next line, he started over again.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word…"

* * *

This is the MOST depressing thing that I have ever written and I am so glad it's over! Poor Kagome! Poor Shippo! I hope Inuyasha arrives soon!

Review please!

~Miyopiyo


	5. Retrospection

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Five: **Retrospection  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

"We're almost there, Kagome," Inuyasha panted heavily. He looked behind him to Sango, Miroku, and Kirara, the latter of whom had her tongue lolling about in exhaustion. They had traveled nonstop for an entire day, and though she was used to it, the cat demon had never ran for such a distance in this short amount of time before.

Miroku had regained a lot more blood during their journey, and his color had improved, as well, but Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder how well he would put up in the fight. The bandage he sported covered one of his eyes. Sango was fairing well, though Inuyasha had seen her more than once grip her side, where he guessed she was hit with Hiraikotsu. However, he would not stand for a break. The only one who was protecting Kagome right now was Shippo, and Inuyasha knew that the small pup couldn't put up a defense for long. Shippo's strength may have improved, but not by much; one swipe could knock him out for hours, as Inuyasha knew all too well.

Growling viciously and tightly gripping Tetsusaiga to the point where it vibrated uncomfortably in his hand, Inuyasha sniffed the air again before glaring meaningfully at his companions, who nodded. Sesshomaru's scent was getting stronger, but he was still too far ahead. Inuyasha could also barely pick up the stench of one of Naraku's puppets, but Kagome's aroma wasn't with it. Instead, he smelt the stench of something quite similar to himself and his brother, but had a more wild taint to it. Not only that, but blood, and lots of it.

"Koga," Inuyasha spat.

"Did you say something, Inuyasha?" Miroku yelled loudly from behind.

"We're in wolf territory!" Inuyasha shouted back, glancing briefly at them before looking ahead.

Miroku and Sango exchanged worried looks.

"Why would Sesshomaru go through here? Do you think he wanted to pick a fight with Koga?" Sango asked.

Miroku shook his head. "I don't think he'd have any reason to, but—" Miroku cut himself off, his eyes widening as he took in his new surroundings.

Wolf demons and their animal counterparts alike lay scattered over the earth. Blood formed in large pools and painted itself across the dead bodies and trees, smearing across the forest. The smell of it was so strong that Sango slapped a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, painful memories bombarding her as Miroku and Inuyasha cursed.

"Damn it all…" Inuyasha muttered angrily up ahead. "One of Naraku's puppets has been through here..." Inuyasha squinted ahead of him before slowing his pace just slightly.

"Ah, look!" A voice yelled. "It's Inuyasha!"

A demon with long, black hair tied in a ponytail turned sharply, his bloody fists clenched tightly. Sensing a fight coming on, Inuyasha snarled, but didn't stop. Instead, he practically flew right past Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku, Kirara following him quickly. Koga, already agitated, sprinted after him, his tornado forcing his pack to take cover as it caused dirt and debris to fly everywhere.

It didn't take long for Koga to catch up to Inuyasha, but when he did, he continued to run along side him, his aura angry and suspicious. Inuyasha assessed the angry wolf quickly; Koga had multiple scratches adorning his entire body; his armor was torn and blood was smeared along his face and chest.

"What the hell do you want, wolf?" Inuyasha asked irritably.

"Mind telling me what the hell your brother and Naraku are doing in _my_ territory?" Koga responded, his teeth bared and brows furrowed. "I returned home from a hunt and found nearly half of my pack _massacred!_"

"Why don't you go and ask them, wolf?" Inuyasha yelled. "Your stinkin' pack ain't my problem!"

Koga ignored him and looked behind them, where Sango and Miroku waved. He lifted an eyebrow at them before looking back at Inuyasha.

"Where the hell is Kagome?"

The question had Inuyasha's stomach plummet all over again.

oOo

Kagura felt revolted.

She had been summoned to Naraku's quarters again, and when she arrived, he had just finished retying his robes around his waist. He had Kanna show her Inuyasha and his small group and said he was going to the outer premises to "greet" them alongside with his other minions. She was about to follow him when he smirked at her and ordered her to go to the chamber that the girl and fox pup were locked in and "clean up" the mess he left. She had muttered angrily that she was not his servant, but a painful squeeze of her heart had her thinking otherwise.

When Kagura reached the door, she couldn't help but pause at the smell that was filtering through the cracks and forcefully held down her bile as she slowly slid open the door, which creaked loudly upon her entrance. Inside, she noticed that the fox pup was curled into a small ball and was rocking back and forth, murmuring to himself. He stopped when he heard the door open, but continued to mutter and rock his body even faster as her footfalls came nearer. Kagura's eyes then landed on the girl. The wind demon looked away immediately. She was used to seeing bodies massacred; she herself had been the cause to most deaths and destruction, but never had she seen a body violated so.

Walking tentatively toward the dead young woman, Kagura lowered to her knees and placed a clawed hand over Kagome's face, gently sealing her eyes shut with the lids. Then, standing up again, Kagura pulled off her outer robe and draped it over the body before turning to the pup, who continued to sing a strange lullaby to himself.

Naraku be damned to hell, she was not going to let a pup linger and scent the death of his surrogate mother.

Pulling her fan from her inner robes, Kagura spread it wide before bringing it down in a flash of wind. The pup jumped as he felt the chain around his waist become loose and fall away to lie on the ground next to him. He fingered the blindfold, about to pull it off when Kagura's clawed hands covered his and pulled them away. She didn't need to cause him too much distress by letting him see his dead parent.

"K—Kagome?" the pup sniffed, his nose far too stuffed to sniff out who was there. Kagura felt her brows furrow, but didn't say anything as she picked the pup up and began to leave the room. "Kagome?" the pup called again. "H—How did you…?"

Keeping silent, Kagura hurriedly closed the door behind her and walked as fast as she could toward another room far away from the one which she emerged. When she found a room suitably far away enough, she locked them both inside before setting the pup down and placing her hands over the knot of the blindfold. Her hands hesitated for mere seconds, but finally, Kagura undid the knot and watched as it fell away.

Shippo, who had his eyes shut tightly, opened them, and then blinked several times before wiping his eyes tiredly. He examined his surroundings first before looking up at Kagura and squeaking in fright, his eyes wide.

"K—Kagome!" he cried. When he received no answer, he looked around again, tears forming in his eyes when he couldn't find the one he was looking for. He looked back at Kagura, who had her hands clenched tightly. He eyed them for a second before looking up in her eyes. "W—Where's Kagome?" he asked. His voice was shaky; Kagura could tell that he was trying to be brave, but she could hear the fear underlying his tone and licked her lips.

"She's—" Kagura paused, thinking for the right words. "She's somewhere else now."

Shippo breath quickened. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. "Where? I smelt her—I was with her a minute ago, take me back! Take me back to her!" He came forward and pounded his small fists on Kagura's knees. He began to cry harder than ever as his attempt to do any damage drained whatever energy he had left and he slumped forward onto her lap, his tears soaking through her inner robes.

Kagura looked away and at the wall, her stoic façade beginning to ebb away. "She'll come back for her pup," she said. Shippo stopped and looked up at her. "Your friends are coming now; you need to stay in this room until they arrive."

Kagura was surprised when Shippo's eyes darkened slightly. "Y—You mean Inuyasha?"

"Yes." Kagura nodded. There was a sudden change in atmosphere as something—or some_one_, Kagura's mind suggested—penetrated the barrier that Kanna had put up to hide the castle. She looked up, a smirk tugging at her lips as she sensed the aura of the powerful dog demon. "And it seems he'll be getting a little help."

She was about to stand, but Shippo tugged on her robes, holding her down.

"What do you mean?" Shippo whimpered. "Who?"

Kagura stared down at the pup for a minute before answering. "The Lord of the West," she answered, her voice softening just slightly as Shippo backed away again, his bottom lip trembling.

"S—Sesshomaru?" he gasped. Nodding, Kagura stood again and made her way to the door, but small hands tugging on her robe caused her to look down again. "W—Wait! What about Kagome?" Shippo sniveled, his eyes wide.

"She'll be fine," Kagura assured, sliding the door open.

"You promise?"

Kagura hesitated, wondering if she should answer this question. Sesshomaru's Tenseiga had the amazing ability to bring people back to life, but why should he help her? He didn't owe her or Kagome anything, so why should he bother bringing the girl back to life when he really didn't need to?

Her body stiffening, Kagura walked out and slowly slid the door shut, her eyes on Shippo the entire time.

"I promise."

oOo

Sesshomaru felt the barrier around him pulse slightly, what seemed like an electric current emanating from where his body began to penetrate its edges. Ignoring it, he walked straight through, easily concealing his surprise and suspicion that Naraku's castle had been revealed so effortlessly. His eyes scanned the premises for any sign of life and stepped forward when he found none. So far, he could sense no threat coming from the castle, but kept well on guard. He knew Naraku was hiding somewhere in there. His hand gripping the hilt of Tokijin, Sesshomaru slowly pulled the sword from its sheath, raised it over his head, and brought it down in a powerful strike. Dirt and debris flew everywhere as the side of the castle exploded, a powerful wind forcing the remains away from the building. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as a familiar scent on the wind floated past his nose.

Kagura strutted out of one of the destroyed halls, her hand whipping her fan closed as she looked at the mess he made. She the eyed the sword Sesshomaru wielded, an almost amused expression on her face.

"Dramatic entrance," she mocked.

"Kagura," Sesshomaru addressed. "Tell me where Naraku is."

Kagura gave a mirthless shout of laughter before reopening her fan and waving it tantalizingly over her face. "Now where's the fun in that?" She brought her fan back down to her side and turned her back on him before slowly walking away, pausing only to see if he was following her. Sesshomaru vaguely noticed that her robes were different, but paid no mind. He softly grunted his annoyance and sheathed Tokijin, but his hand continued to hover over his swords. Without saying a word, he followed her through the large castle, his eyes narrowing more and more as another familiar scent wafted across his nose. But this one was tainted.

"Inuyasha's woman…" he stated softly as his footfalls came to a rest. Kagura paused, but didn't turn around. "The priestess."

"She lost her title as priestess a while ago," Kagura murmured. Her body twitched suddenly and she arched over as if she were in great pain, but hurriedly composed herself and continued walking, her pace a bit faster than before.

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at the news and followed again, his mind racing. Was Inuyasha so weak that he couldn't even protect his intended? The question fluttered around his head before a new one took its place. Why was she even here, anyway? Was this a trap set for his younger half brother?

Before he knew it, Kagura came to a halt in front of a set of sliding shoji doors. The scent of death assaulted his nose quickly along with the revolting stench of Naraku's essence. Frowning, Sesshomaru slid the door open, his eyes scanning what he could see of the room before landing on a small lump of what appeared to be Kagura's outer robe. He took another tentative sniff before walking inside and standing beside the body of the ex-priestess.

"Why have you brought me here?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice suddenly icy.

Kagura looked him over for a minute, her eyes expressionless before walking to stand beside him and staring down at Kagome.

"Why do you think?" she replied.

Sesshomaru ignored her and stared down at Tenseiga. The sword had suddenly begun to pulse around his waist, urging him to use it. His hand hovered over the hilt, but did not grab it.

"The pup was here," he stated, lifting his nose just slightly. Without waiting for Kagura's response, he turned on his heel and left the room. Kagura stared after him, her mouth slightly agape. She had felt the pull of his Tenseiga, and knew that the sword wanted him to revive the girl; she had been sure that Sesshomaru would do it. Her hands tightly clenched, Kagura marched after him into the hall.

"Sesshomaru, wait!"

The lord ignored her and continued to walk down the corridors of the castle until he arrived at another set of shoji doors. He paused, his hand resting over the door before sliding it open, revealing what seemed to be an empty room. The scent of fear wafted by his nose and Sesshomaru looked to his right, where a shadowed figure was cowering in a dark corner.

He was about to take a step towards it when Kagura was in front of him, an angry expression on her usually calm face.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"He could not even protect his pup," Sesshomaru said. Though his voice was usually indifferent, Kagura could hear the anger underlying his tone.

"Why do you care?" she spat. She clutched her chest suddenly and kneeled, gasping in pain. The figure in the corner squeaked in fright before rushing to her, trying to push her back to her feet.

Sesshomaru didn't answer. The truth was, looking at the frightened pups face reminded him much of Rin, and he couldn't help but wonder how she would react once she found out that he had left her friend in the hands of Naraku. Grunting in disdain, Sesshomaru stepped forward to retrieve the fox kit, but Shippo jumped back behind Kagura, foreboding, and small traces of rage, written all over his face. Sesshomaru paused, keeping his eyes on Shippo as Kagura stood again. Before she could open her mouth, another electrical current surged around the castle. She looked to the window, and then down at the pup before pulling a white feather out of her hair. Eyeing Sesshomaru, she seemed to understand his intentions, for she said to the pup, "Stay with him," and in a gust of wind, took to the skies on her feather, creating a large hole in the roof of the castle.

Shippo watched her go silently before fearfully staring at Sesshomaru. The older demon spared the pup a glance before turning on his heel, pausing for just a moment to let his eyes linger on where Kagura disappeared and walking out of the door and down the corridors. He got what he wanted.

Behind him, Shippo reluctantly followed.

* * *

Yeah, not much of Inuyasha or Kagome in this chapter, but its getting there, so be patient. I'm also a Sesshomaru and Kagura fan (I don't hate Sesshomaru and Rin together, but Rin is a child, so it's weird.)

Thanks for reading! Review please!

~Miyopiyo


	6. Pain

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Six: **Pain  
**Rating: **M

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The Crown Jewel

* * *

"What the _hell_ do you mean that Naraku has Kagome?"

Inuyasha winced, the sound of Koga's voice hurting his sensitive ears. He ignored his pain, a vicious growl ripping from his throat as he bared his fangs at the wolf prince, an expression of rage on both of their faces.

"It's _none_ of your damn business, wolf!" Inuyasha spat without turning to look at his rival. They continued running, albeit both demons held a silent competition of speed and agility while simultaneously holding their argument. Inuyasha's fists clenched under the cover of his haori, his right hand itching to grab a hold of Tetsusaiga and blowing the annoying wolf demon to pieces. But Inuyasha knew he couldn't. Not only would Kagome be pissed at him if he killed one of her _friends_ (he uttered the word disdainfully in his mind), he might need Koga's… _alliance_ if worst came to worst with Naraku, which Inuyasha was quite positive it wouldn't.

"None of my business!" Koga howled. "Kagome is _my_ woman, mutt! If it's _anyone's_ business, it's _mine!_"

Inuyasha stopped short on his response, a grunt of anger pulling from his throat instead. Behind him, Sango and Miroku exchanged worried glances, both of them hoping that the two opposing demons would put their differences aside and focus on saving Kagome. However, sensing the rising tantrum from Inuyasha, Miroku gently pressed his heel against Kirara's side, telling her to move faster until they were between the two angry demons. Inuyasha, who was about to retort, shut his mouth at the withering look Sango shot him and kept his eyes front, deciding to continue the argument after Kagome was safe. Sango then turned on Koga, and Inuyasha smirked as he heard a quick, heated argument in which Sango threatened to slice off certain parts of Koga's anatomy. Kirara growled and looked meaningfully at Inuyasha, who lifted his nose and scented the air.

"Sesshomaru's scent is getting stronger; we're almost there," he informed his comrades. Sango and Miroku nodded in response. Miroku glanced to his left, where Koga was running along pace with them.

"Koga," Miroku addressed, waiting until the wolf prince lifted an eyebrow to show his acknowledgement. "Will you be fighting along with us?"

Koga shook his head. "Before you guys arrived, I told some of my wolves to rally the Northern, Eastern, and Western tribes." He looked up at what he could see of the sun through the canopy of the forest they were running through and then looked at their shadows. "They should arrive soon."

"How many warriors?" Sango asked.

Koga looked thoughtful before he shook his head again. "The North, Ayame's tribe, has a couple hundred. I'm not sure about the Eastern or Western; we haven't had contact with our sister tribes since Naraku's first attack on my pack."

"Useless," Inuyasha spat in a low voice. "I don't need any help from some stupid wolves; I can take down Naraku _and_ his army with one hand tied behind my back!" he said confidently.

"Wanna test that theory out, fleabag?" Koga called over Kirara. She roared loudly in warning and the two demons fell silent, though occasionally grumbled under their breath. Ignoring Inuyasha as he cursed, Sango looked behind her to Miroku, whose hand suddenly twitched around her waist.

"How's your head?" she asked softly. Miroku grinned at her.

"Worried?" he asked, his grin widening as Sango flushed. She turned back around in a hurry, her hair whipping Miroku in the face.

"I just don't want to have to save your butt when we're fighting!" she said. Miroku chuckled and slowly guided his hand over her hip to hover above her curve of her bottom, but before he could touch anything, Kirara came to a skidding halt, her hackles raised. Inuyasha and Koga stopped along with her, both of their fangs bared.

"We're here," Koga said. He looked around. Their surroundings had not changed at all, but Naraku's and Sesshomaru's scents had both come to an abrupt end. Miroku and Sango disembarked Kirara as Inuyasha held up a steady hand and pressed forward. His hand disappeared into what seemed to be a large, invisible dome.

"A barrier," Inuyasha said, slightly puzzled. He wondered briefly if they were walking straight into a trap, but kept walking despite until he was all the way through. Their surroundings changed suddenly; what was once a luscious forest became a dead, almost swampy, desolate land. The castle, which had appeared out of thin air was huge and dark, but nearly half of it seemed to have been blown to pieces. Inuyasha lifted his nose and sniffed before the smallest of smirks crossed his features. "Sesshomaru's been here," he stated bluntly.

"But where's that bastard, Naraku?" Koga voiced loudly, but Inuyasha shook his head. Naraku wasn't what they were here for. At least not yet. Inuyasha scented the air again, but Kagome's scent wasn't on it. A deep frown pulled at his features and he sniffed again and again, but could find not trace of her, but another scent caught his attention. Inuyasha smelt again, just to make sure before looking at Kirara, who appeared to have also smelt the scent and nodded. Koga looked away into the distance, something seeming to have caught his attention. Inuyasha ignored the wolf prince and tentatively took a step forward, Miroku and Sango following cautiously behind.

"Can you smell Kagome?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha clenched his teeth.

"No," he replied. His pace quickened suddenly. "But I smell Shippo." He heard both of his companions footfalls stop briefly and assumed that they had paused at the news, but they quickly gained on him.

"Is he close?" Sango asked worriedly.

"No. I'm going to try and find him and Kagome—" For some reason, something caught in his throat as he said her name. To make up for the sudden silence, he paused and looked behind him. "Where the hell did that fleabag go?"

Miroku and Sango spun around, their eyebrows raised only to see that Koga had disappeared. They gave each other questioning glances before looking back at Inuyasha, who had already turned around and was heading for the castle. They stepped over much debris and finally arrived at a destroyed corridor, the inside incased in complete darkness. Inuyasha hurried inside, Miroku and Sango following behind loyally.

"Doesn't matter," Inuyasha spat, but something nagged at the back of his mind about Koga's absence. They were rivals, yes, but why would the wolf turn tail when they were so close to finding Kagome? Deciding to push it to the back of his mind, Inuyasha continued, but paused when they came to a fork in the hallway. Cursing, Inuyasha sniffed, then his ears perked up. "Kagome—" he started to go down the left hall, but stopped and sniffed again before glancing down the opposite one.

Growling, Inuyasha looked forward. "We have to split up," he said. Miroku nodded, but Sango looked worried, as did Kirara.

"Why?" she asked.

"Kagome and Shippo are in different areas of the castle; I'm going to get Kagome. You two look for Shippo." Inuyasha was about to take off on a run, but Miroku's voice held him back.

"Be careful, Inuyasha," the monk warned. "I'm not sure why Naraku hasn't shown up yet, but this could be a trap—"

"I could say the same to you." Inuyasha smirked. It widened. "Watch out for Sesshomaru," he said, and then he left, leaving Miroku, Sango, and Kirara in the dust.

oOo

Kagura scanned the large premises of the castle, her eyes narrowed as she panted slightly. Her eyebrows lifted when she saw Inuyasha and his companions, all of whom were walking cautiously towards the debris of the castle. One of them, Koga, she recognized, suddenly turned and ran in another direction, away from the group. She eyed Inuyasha before deciding to follow Koga and seeing what he was up to. He ran to the opposite side of the compound, where he paused and sniffed the ground before standing back up and running again, straight out of the shield that Kanna erected. With a puzzled expression, Kagura followed him, ignoring the painful twinge in her chest that told her repeatedly that Naraku wanted her. She took high to the skies and looked below her feather, where hundreds and hundreds of other wolf demons gather around Koga. Kagura noticed that they had different color fur; some were brown, like Koga's, others were a deeper hue, akin to orange, and some pelts were even pristine white. Kagura used her fan and gave it the smallest of taps, causing the wind to blow towards her, along with Koga's words.

"…avenge our comrades! Naraku _will_ meet his death today!" Koga's finishing words to his speech were the only things that Kagura was able to hear before the crowds of wolves began to howl and cheer alike. She pulled back and stared down at them some more, a wistful look on her face, but a painful twang brought her out of her reverie. Hissing in pain, Kagura quickly reentered the premises of the castle and flew around to the entrance, where she knew Naraku himself was lying in wait in the foyer. She jumped to the ground, grabbing her white feather and placing it in her hair before she opened the large gate doors and entered the dark castle. Before she could even lift her head, she came face to face with a sneering Naraku. His hand, which was clenched around her beating heart, twitched, his claws digging into her most desired appendage. Kagura keeled over in pain, gasping for breath as Naraku stood silently before her.

"It certainly took you a while to answer my summons, Kagura."

Kagura pulled her lips back into a snarl, baring her fangs. Naraku emitted a noise of great annoyance from the back of his throat before beckoning Kanna forward. She held her mirror in front of him, and Kagura could see out of the corner of her eye Inuyasha, who was running down one of the corridors alone. The image then shifted to Sesshomaru. At first sight, Kagura was angrily surprised to see that he was alone, but then the demon turned around a corner and the small pup came into view, a look of deep anxiousness on his face. She felt her mind rest a bit easier at the sight of him, and wondered briefly when and why she had become attached to the fox kit. Kagura kept her eyes on Kanna's mirror as the picture within shifted again to reveal Koga and his wolves, all of whom had just entered the barrier. Naraku nodded his head to Kanna and she closed her eyes. Kagura felt the atmosphere change again as the barrier was removed and unsteadily got to her feet. Naraku glared down at her, one of his tentacles withering from under his robes.

"You disobeyed my orders again, Kagura," he said smoothly. Kagura refrained from wincing, not wanting to show him any pain or weakness. Naraku grunted and looked down at the heart he held before squeezing it so tight that it looked like it might explode. Kagura's breath caught in her throat at the pain. She backed up until she was against the wall and leaned heavily against it, hissing at Naraku as he came closer to her. "I told you not to help the kit. You should have listened to me if you wanted your heart returned to you."

"You wouldn't have given it to me," Kagura spat angrily. She tilted her head back, biting her lip to stifle her moan of pain as he gave her heart another squeeze.

"Is that so?" Naraku's hand clenched around her heart before he slowly brought it up to her face so she could get a good look at what he was doing. Then, he slowly lowered it and pressed it against her chest, forcing it through her flesh quickly and easily. Kagura gasped and tried to step further away from him, not wanting to touch him at all, but the wall behind her prevented her from doing anything. Instead, she stood stock still, her hands coming up to press against the part of her chest where Naraku had replaced her heart. She took a deep breath; her _first_ breath. She was reborn. Kagura snapped her gaze up to Naraku, who had a smirk on his face. His hand, which she realized was still hovering over her heart, slowly, agonizingly pressed back into her flesh. Kagura's body convulsed, her hands hanging limply at her side as Naraku sunk his hand deep into her body and out of her back. The pain had her gasping for breath and sweat trickled down her forehead to land on Naraku's forearm. Then, he brought his bloodied hand back out, and Kagura screamed. Miasma began to seep out of the hole in her chest, eating at her flesh and causing her to fall over. She felt Naraku move over her to reach the door, beckoning Kanna to follow. The albino child stared down at her younger sister for mere seconds, an unfamiliar emotion in her eyes before following Naraku out onto the compound, leaving Kagura struggling for life on the grounds of which she was born.

oOo

"I hope Shippo's okay," Sango said softly. She, Miroku, and Kirara trudged down the hall that Inuyasha indicated Shippo was down. Kirara was in the lead so she could sniff out which room he might be trapped inside of. Miroku gripped his staff, an anxious feeling coursing through him, but he remained calm for Sango's sake.

"I'm sure he's fine," he assured Sango. She nodded, but continued to look worried. Miroku was about to say something else when Kirara stopped suddenly and growled. Miroku and Sango both crouched into defensive positions as they stared in front of them. When nobody came into view, they kept to the wall and slowly crept around, pausing just before the edge of the corner. They were about to attack, but the demon on the other side beat them to it; Kirara growled loudly as a small body slammed into hers. She pushed back into it, her growls turning into loud purrs instead.

"Kirara!" a familiar voice cried. Miroku and Sango whipped around to the large cat demon, who was licking the small form of Shippo as they rolled around the corridor. Shippo looked up, his eyes welling up with tears as he spotted his two companions. "Miroku! Sango!"

"Shippo!" Miroku and Sango cried in unison. Sango rushed forward and pulled the fox kit into a tight embrace which he returned wholeheartedly. She pulled back and brushed his bangs to the side, looking him over for injuries.

"Are you hurt?" she asked. Shippo shook his head, though Sango continued to fret about him. Behind her, Miroku turned around and nearly jumped back in surprise as Sesshomaru whipped passed him, not having sensed the demon earlier. Sango gasped when she saw him and held Shippo tighter to her chest.

"Where is Inuyasha?" The question came out more like a demand.

"He went to find Kagome," Miroku answered. Sesshomaru assessed the monk before turning and walking down the hall which they had come, a frown disrupting the usually stoic expression on his face. Sango looked at Miroku questioningly; he nodded at her and they set off after him, Shippo riding on Kirara's back. Sesshomaru didn't seem to mind that they were following him; Miroku guessed he was used to having human companionship, namely Rin.

"What happened here, Shippo?" Sango asked, her pace fast. In front of her, Sesshomaru cocked his head just slightly, keeping his eyes front. Shippo clenched Kirara's fur tightly.

"I—Me and Kagome were chained up in this room—Kagura came in and tried to help her with her wounds, but then—" But Shippo was cut of at Sango's exclamation.

"_Kagura?_" she asked incredulously. Shippo nodded.

"Y—Yeah, she helped me and Kagome. Then she gave Kagome this cloth and—K—Kagome wrapped it around my eyes and told me not to take it off—and then Naraku came in and Kagome started screaming—" Shippo's voice became hoarse as he recalled what had happened in the room. Miroku and Sango exchanged extremely worried glances before urging Shippo on. Sesshomaru had a slight hitch in his step as his mind processed what had happened, realizing with the smallest hint of appreciation that Kagura had tried to salvage the pup's innocence. "I don't understand what was happening, but then Kagura came in a—and took me to another room. She left and I was alone for a while, but then Sesshomaru came and got me…" Shippo looked up hopefully at the older demon. "Are you going to take us to Kagome…?"

The question had Sesshomaru pause in his tracks. Just barely, he inclined his head to the right, staring at the pup out of the corner of his eye. Without answering, he trekked forward, his pace suddenly faster than it was before. When they reached the fork where Inuyasha parted, Sesshomaru stopped and stared down the hall where he knew the dead priestess was waiting to be discovered by her loved one. Briefly, he wondered if he should retell what he could from the smells to his brother's companions, but his gaze shifted over to Shippo, and he overrode the thought. Kagura did what she could to save the pups purity, and he would not taint it with the knowledge that his surrogate mother had been raped and murdered. The words toyed around in Sesshomaru's head and Tenseiga pulsed suddenly. He looked down at the sword, his hand brushing over its hilt in wonder. Tenseiga wished him to revive the girl, but for what purpose? Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. Was it because it was the fang of his and Inuyasha's father? Did Tenseiga want to save his brothers mate for the sake of being his fathers son? Slowly, Sesshomaru stepped forward down the hall, his eyes lingering over the humans' faces and finally Shippo's. He knew what he had to do, but saving the ex-priestess was not his first priority.

With a glance of warning to the humans, Sesshomaru set off down the hall, his nose working overtime to find the scent of the one he sought, leaving the small group looking after him.

* * *

Man, this is dragging out longer than I thought it would, but I like the results. Next chapter will be a dramatic one, so be ready for it! Shoutout to **Aditiz**, who asked me kindly to update this story. This one is just for you! Keep in mind that I only updated because my friend requested-it will still be a very long time until I update next, as I really want to prepare more chapters prior to updating.

Review please!

~Miyopiyo


	7. Fury

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Seven: **Fury  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

"Split up! Search the outer premises of the castle, but don't enter it! If you find Naraku, do _not_ try to take him on yourself—wait for the rest of the pack!" Koga's orders rang loudly around the huge mass of wolves and demons, all of whom nodded in agreement before setting off. Koga himself watched them scatter, his eyes narrowing considerably as the warriors scaled the huge desolate land. Beside him, Ayame sniffed about, her tail between her legs. He heaved a loud breath as he glanced at her. "Are you ready for this?"

Ayame jumped at the sound of his voice. She hesitated, but said firmly, "Yes."

Koga turned away, but continued to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "We'll lose many members of the pack," he said softly. He felt her shudder beside him.

"I know," she whispered. Her posture straightened out and her voice hardened. "But so do they. They know what they're getting themselves into."

"You might die, too," Koga warned. Ayame didn't answer for a minute and continued to gaze at their comrades.

"Naraku is your enemy," she stated. "Therefore, he's my enemy, too."

Koga's expression became one akin to surprise, but he nodded his head and took off. His pack knew what to do, and if there was any trouble, Ayame would lead them in his place. He smirked grimly. He came to the destroyed corridor where he saw Inuyasha and his pack disappear and hurriedly ran inside, his intent on finding Kagome growing by the minute. He paused to try and catch her scent and frowned when he couldn't. Instead, he smelt the distinct scent of the two humans that the mutt traveled with, along with the cat demon and a new scent that he quickly recognized as the fox cub. He continued forward, following their scents until they nearly collided around the corner of a hall.

"Koga!" Sango gasped. She subconsciously hugged Shippo tighter to her, not noticing as he tried to curl around her upper body. Koga opened his mouth, but closed it, a confused expression on his face. He took a step closer and sniffed them, his nose lingering a bit on Shippo before pulling away.

"You were with Sesshomaru?" he asked questioningly.

"He just left to find Inuyasha, I think," Miroku said. Koga felt slightly relieved. Inuyasha's scent was already fading, so it would be harder for him to track. If Sesshomaru went to look for him, then his scent would be fresh and easy to follow. Miroku seemed to read what was going through the wolf's mind, for he said, "He didn't want us to follow him. I'm not sure why, but he indicated that we stay behind while he looked for them."

Sango felt her breath hitch. She had also known what Sesshomaru had hinted when he looked at them, but hearing it in words—the way Miroku said it made the situation seem much more real to her. Why did Sesshomaru not want them to go along with him? Why did he not want them to follow the path that they knew Kagome was on? Sango wondered if something terrible had happened. Though Shippo had said earlier that Kagome was screaming when she was with Naraku, the fact didn't register in her brain until now. Something happened to Kagome—something that Sesshomaru didn't want them to know about—at least, not now. But Inuyasha—if he found her, he would be able to take care of her, right? Sango looked around to Miroku and realized that the same thoughts must have been running through his head, for the expression he wore was one of worry and bitterness.

"Should we go back?" Sango asked hurriedly. Before Miroku could answer, she spun around, Hiraikotsu already clutched in her hands, but Miroku held her arm tightly.

"No," he said strongly. "Whatever happened to Kagome, Inuyasha will be able to take care of it. For now, we should find a way to lure Naraku out of the castle—"

"I've already told my pack to expect you," Koga informed. He turned tail and was about to head down the rest of the corridor, but Sango's voice held him back.

"Sesshomaru didn't want us to go down there, Koga! I think you should stay with us for now."

But Koga snarled at her. "Kagome is _my_ woman," he spat suddenly. "And I'll be damned if I leave her with the weak mutt! _He's_ the reason she's here in the first place!" And with that, Koga took off down the hall, leaving Sango and Miroku in the dust. Kirara growled at them and nudged Sango's thigh. She jumped, but patted Kirara on the nose before making her way out of the castle with Miroku and Shippo trailing behind her.

When Koga came to the fork in the middle of the corridor, he stopped and sniffed as he had never sniffed before. He pulled back, confusion and anger evident on his face as he realized that Sesshomaru's scent was trailing down both hallways. He scented again, making sure to check both halls before coming to a decision; the dog demons scent was stronger down the left path, so Koga hurried down the hall, his feet pounding loudly on the wooden floors. It was then that he came to another obstacle. The hall split in two again, but Koga quickly deduced that Sesshomaru's scent was stronger in the hall that curved to the left and followed it, hoping that the older demon wouldn't lead him in a giant circle. He ran for a long while after that, a snarl pulling on his face in his impatience until he finally came to a long set of stairs aligned with tall pillars. He realized that Sesshomaru's scent was strongest around here and treaded softly, a frown appearing on his features when he could not smell Kagome _or_ Inuyasha. Instead, a scent so familiar in its wickedness wafted by his nose and Koga's rage suddenly reared on end. He skipped the stairs and jumped, landing behind the Lord of the West, who was shielding none other than the murderer of half of his tribe.

oOo

Kagura sat panting on the ground, a dark purple gas flowing from a large hole in her chest. Sesshomaru eyed her, the stoic expression on his face never changing as her blood soaked the floor around her and pooled around his feet. His hand rested thoughtfully over Tenseiga, but the sword gave no indication that it could save the demon. Sesshomaru's hand clenched tightly around the hilt as the realization hit him. Kagura would die, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He pointedly ignored the wolf demon as he arrived behind him, but he could smell the rage seeping off the wolf; it filled the room, changing the atmosphere into one of preparation for battle. Sesshomaru's hand lifted, ghosting over Tenseiga before resting lightly on Tokijin, but he did not pull the powerful sword from its sheath. He turned slowly to face the raging demon, his expression of indifference changing into one of great annoyance. Kagura needed his attention and he did not want her death to be more painful than it had to be.

However, before either demon could say a word, a loud ruckus from outside the castle disrupted their silent dispute. There was suddenly a lot of screaming and cries of pain; the sounds of destruction caught Koga's attention immediately. He took a step towards the door and paused as Kagura came back within his line of sight. He growled and redirected his path towards her, but Sesshomaru stood as a shield in front of the wounded female. Koga paused, his eyes shifting from Kagura to Sesshomaru, a conflicted expression on his face. A growl forced itself from his throat, the thought of his fallen comrades tugging at the back of his mind; he still had to avenge them. His mind set, Koga stepped forward threateningly, but before he knew what had happened, Sesshomaru drew Tokijin and the sword shot powerful, dark energy at him in the form of long, sharp needles. He was thrown against the opposite wall with a grunt of pain as the needles dug deeply into his limbs. They disintegrated before he could register where they had hit him and he quickly crouched to the ground to regain his composure, not realizing that the jewel shard in his right arm had popped out.

Koga assessed the demon, debating whether he should help his comrades outside or stay and fight, but his decision became painfully clear in the end. Sesshomaru was much too powerful for the wolf prince to handle. Averting his eyes, Koga wiped the snarl from his lips and bound away down the corridor and back out of the castle as Sesshomaru sheathed Tokijin. The dog demon let his eyes linger briefly on the wolf's exit before they shifted downward toward the shiny, pink shard on the ground. He picked it up and examined it closely before looking at Kagura, whose head had fallen back to the wall so she could gaze up at him. The jewel shard was clenched tightly within his fist, but remained the color of a bright pink; untainted.

"Why?" Her voice came out hoarse and she soon coughed up blood after her question. Sesshomaru remained silent as he stalked towards her and bent to his knees. Ever so slowly, he curved Kagura over his arms and picked her up, his chest tightening as her last breath gave way to the wind.

oOo

Inuyasha was beginning to pant. After he had left Miroku and Sango to find Shippo, he had been sprinting all around the castle to try and find Kagome, but he felt like he had been running around in circles. He had picked up Naraku's scent more than once, but refrained from following it, wanting to find Kagome first and not knowing that the stench of the foul half-demon could lead straight to her. He also came across Sesshomaru's scent multiple times. He had followed it briefly, but stopped when he realized that he was backtracking down to the fork where he left his companions. Getting frustrated, Inuyasha had to resist the urge to pull out Tetsusaiga and blow the castle to pieces, but he couldn't risk Kagome getting hurt. He wondered down a corridor and thought briefly if he had been down this one before, but assumed he had as Naraku's stench was trailing faintly down it. Inuyasha gave up then and decided to follow the scent, hoping that it would somehow lead to Kagome and not knowing that his worst nightmare lied at the end of the hall.

It wasn't long before he finally began to smell her; Kagome. Inuyasha breathed deeply, something in his chest seeming to lift until he caught something in her scent that had his eyes snap open in complete shock. He paused, wondering if what he had smelt was true before trudging onward, the scent of death growing and growing with each step. His breath quickened as the scent became stronger; there was something about the air around him that screamed for him to turn around and walk away, but his denial got the best of him and pushed him forward until he came to a set of sliding shoji doors. His breathing now painfully fast, Inuyasha's hand rested over the handle, but fell back to his side as he pressed his back against the opposite wall. Kagome's scent, mingled with the scent of death, was filtering powerfully through the cracks of the door, but along with it was a scent that Inuyasha didn't recognize until he identified it as lust. A powerful feeling surged in Inuyasha; he felt his eyes begin to turn red, and the jagged stripes burn onto his cheeks, and his fangs and claws lengthened. He gripped Tetsusaiga with one hand, the other, shaky and hesitant, slid the door open before he could even register what it was doing. The odor of death hit him head on and Inuyasha fell to the floor, his eyes resting solely on the face of his deceased mate.

Inuyasha held his breath, his eyes not blinking as disbelief flooded his system. He was dreaming. He had to be. Multiple times he had nightmares of where he had not arrived in time and Kagome had been killed; in the end, when he woke up, she was perfectly fine and healthy. This was just another one of those dreams. Now all he had to do was wake up.

But nothing had smelled more like death in this moment; nothing had felt so real. Not having the strength to get to his feet, Inuyasha crawled on his hands and knees into the dark room, his eyes never leaving Kagome's face, nor ever blinking. When he reached her, his hand automatically preceded him to caress her face, but he hesitated. His hand was shaking violently by the time that he decided to press it to her skin, but he withdrew it quickly; her skin, what was once so warm and colored, was now pale and cool, the warmth just leaving her body. He sat back on his haunches, staring at his hand before Kagome, and then to the robe that he was vaguely familiar to him. His hand twitched, and his nose suddenly reminded him of the lust, the taint, that he had smelled before. That particular scent was more powerful than ever, a standing reminder that he had failed. Gulping, Inuyasha slowly lifted the robe away from Kagome's body, his eyes widening in horror at the multiple bruises, cuts and slashes he found adorning her naked body. He dropped the cloth as his breathing became labored again. He drew back his hands to frame his face, covering his eyes just slightly so he couldn't see her before his head fell back and he howled, his claws decimating the wooden floor under him. He bent over her, his body curling into hers as his screams of emotional pain overcame him.

Tetsusaiga pulsed wildly by his side and Inuyasha's hands sought it out, clenching the hilt as if it were a lifeline that he could use to call back Kagome. His eyes bled red in his agony, his fangs lengthening to the point that they cut into his lower lip painfully, but Tetsusaiga only pulsed in his hands, doing nothing to prevent his transformation. His pain was too great for the sword to control, but it seemed to understand that his transformation was not a result of his threatened life, but for justice; vengeance of a lover. Still clutching Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha's transformation exceeded that of just a full demon, and he welcomed it, hoping—_pleading_ that his rage would overcome the pain, that his conscience would slip away and he would become a mindless killer. But nothing ever worked out the way he wanted it. The aroma of Kagome's death was imprinted into his memory and he fed off of it, using his pain as a catalyst to fuel his rage.

Hunching over, he wailed as he felt his bones shift underneath his skin. His body slowly grew larger and larger until the wooden floors creaked and moaned under his weight. Fur sprouted from his body, a silky silver of thick tresses that covered him entirely. His fangs lengthened, his claws sharpened and his eyes, once a determined gold, were now blood red and held the promise of death. His clothes had melded into his body during the transformation, but Inuyasha still held Tetsusaiga between his teeth; the sword was so tiny that he could have crushed it with his fangs easily, but Inuyasha set it down next to his mates head and stood to his full height, his true demon easily tearing the roof above him to pieces.

With his mind set and head clear, Inuyasha roared.

oOo

"Something's… _off_." Sango's voiced trembled slightly as she spoke, her hands gripping Hiraikotsu tightly. Beside her, Miroku nodded in agreement, his hands clenching his staff. Something waved over his face and he grumbled in irritation; his bandages had been loose ever since they arrived at the castle. Reaching up, he pulled at them, ripping them from his head. Sango gasped and reprimanded him; his head wound wasn't completely healed yet, but Miroku waved her aside and threw the bandages to the ground before looking up. The wrappings had concealed one of his eyes and he could now see with both. Koga's wolves were scattered all over the horizon. Miroku wondered briefly how many there were, but it looked like too many to count.

"W—What do you mean?" Shippo asked. They both turned to face the young demon, who was situated on Kirara's back. Sango bit her lip in worry; she didn't want Shippo to be anywhere the fight today, but looking around, there was absolutely no safe place to hide him. They were on Naraku's territory now, and any place could be dangerous. Miroku seemed to read her mind, for he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Neither of them answered his question but turned back around, their eyes scanning the desolate land.

"It's just that something feels different," Sango continued in a whispered voice. "Where's Naraku? Why is this taking so long?"

"I don't know, but I feel it, too," Miroku admitted. His eyebrows contracted. The only thing they've been hearing for what felt like hours were the howls and yelps of the many wolves that were circling the land, but other than that, everything had been too quiet. Miroku lifted his eyes and scanned the horizon again; they narrowed as he caught something peculiar in the distance. What looked like large, oddly colored storm clouds were floating over the distant mountains towards them. Sango noticed them too, he realized, but she also seemed to observe something about them that had her pulling Hiraikotsu in front of her. Before Miroku could say a word, Sango sprinted away towards the clouds, her hair whipping around as she searched for Ayame. He was set to follow her, but stopped; a massive aura of negative energy warped around the land and Miroku realized quickly that what he thought to be storm clouds was actually a huge mass of demons that he deduced Naraku had spawned. Feeling his muscles tighten, Miroku sprinted after Sango, one hand clenched tightly around his staff and the other around his prayer beads. Looking around, he noticed that there were no Saimyoushou to disrupt his Wind Tunnel, and hurriedly prepared himself for battle.

When Sango reached Ayame, she didn't hesitate to point out the thousands of demons headed their way. Ayame looked shocked at how many there were, but nodded to Sango, a set expression on her face. In a flurry of howls and yips, she pointed out to the rest of her pack the demons and they gathered around each other, waiting. When Sango returned to Miroku's side, she couldn't help but feel anxious, yet strangely excited.

"This is it," she whispered, a frown pulling on the small smirk she wore. "I can feel it, Miroku." But instead of agreeing, Miroku slowly took his hand in hers. Surprised, Sango turned to him, temporarily ignoring the mass of demons to look him in the eye.

"Be careful, Sango," Miroku said softly. He had a very serious expression on his face. Sango stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide. The circumstances had suddenly become much more real to her. This _is_ it; their final chance—the last moment to avenge their loved ones and make things right again. This would be the toughest battle they would ever fight; she could die at any moment, and that was a startling realization. Her face grim, Sango nodded. Just like always, she would fight without any fears or regrets.

When the demons arrived, Sango and Miroku charged them together, their hands still intertwined.

* * *

Ah, Sango and Miroku; probably the most passionate couple of the series, haha. I was seriously debating whether I should have made Inuyasha just transform into his regular full demon, and not the giant dog; I think it's kind of weird—but what do you think? It kinda makes the story more dramatic, yeah? So I did it anyway :D.

Kagura died! Nooo! But what is Sesshomaru up to? Just have to wait until next time! Sorry this took so long. I don't even know why I'm posting this right now, since I have finals this week and need to cram, but I guess I need something to take my mind off of things… help me relax. Well, not to mention I had a lot of time yesterday since I was supremely sick and had to stay home from school! Oh well!

Thanks for reading! Review please!

~Miyopiyo


	8. Revival

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Eight: **Revival  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

Sesshomaru walked slowly down the halls of Naraku's castle, his eyes never leaving the burden that lay in his arms. His mind was racing, but there were no thoughts filtering through his brain; he seemed to be in shock. Kagura's death, though it wasn't sudden, came as a surprise to him. She was dead. Her body lay motionless in his arms, still seeping miasma and blood, the latter of which stained his armor, ceaselessly reminding him that she was gone forever.

His hand twitched suddenly and something sharp poked into his palm. Sesshomaru paused in mid-step and averted his eyes from Kagura's pale face to his hand, which was now clenched tightly. He forced it open, his face remaining stoic as the jewel shard that the wolf demon left behind was revealed to him, along with small smears of blood from where the pointed ends had punctured into his hand. Tenseiga pulsed again at his side and Sesshomaru continued walking, his pace just a bit faster. He didn't know how long he was walking through the castle for, but he was beginning to feel impatient by the time he found the fork that led to the priestess. He stopped and took a tentative sniff. Yes, Inuyasha had undoubtedly found his mate by now. He could smell the pain and rage and shock. Sesshomaru stared down at Kagura's face. Though he didn't express it, he could understand what his younger half-brother was feeling in this moment.

He was about to take a step when the entire compound shook violently. Though he didn't lose his balance, Sesshomaru held still and didn't move until the tremors stopped. There were loud howls coming from somewhere down the hall and it sounded as if the castle itself were being torn apart. His eyes narrowed; there was something about these sounds that felt vaguely familiar to him, but he ignored it and continued walking. He was nearly half way to the dead priestess when he realized that Inuyasha's scent had changed. It had become much more primal. Something clicked in the back of Sesshomaru's mind, but he dismissed it until later and stopped at the set of double sliding shoji doors, which were slightly open. He pushed through them, his ears tuning out the loud shouts of surprise and pain and the roars of rage from outside. Upon entering the room, he noticed that the roof had been torn apart and debris was littered all across the room. It hindered him in finding Inuyasha's mate's body, but when he did, Sesshomaru gently set Kagura to the ground and drew Tenseiga, which was beating gently in his palms. He clenched the sword tightly, his eyes scanning his surroundings, searching for the imps that served to take souls to hell. He was surprised at how quickly he had found them; the priestess's death was a little over an hour ago, and the imps preferred to make quick work of the souls. It seemed that they were having particular trouble taking _this_ soul, however. They noticed Sesshomaru and hastily began to try and haul the soul of the priestess away, but it seemed as if it were chained to the body; she wasn't ready to leave yet.

Sesshomaru struck; the imps opened their mouths in silent screams of pain before they melted into the background, leaving the soul to finally merge with the body.

Kagome's eyes opened.

Sesshomaru noted impatiently that it took her a while to recognize where she was before her eyes snapped open fully in fear. She clenched Kagura's robes around her torso and sat up, looking down in surprise that all of her wounds were suddenly healed. She seemed almost happily stunned before she finally noticed his demonic aura. Almost in slow motion, she turned to face him, fear suddenly written all over her face. He sheathed Tenseiga before turning and walking over to Kagura. He knew the girl was watching his every move carefully, and when he turned around to face her again, she scrambled away quickly until her back hit the wall, trapping her. Her breathing became labored and he could tell that she wanted to search for an exit, but was too terrified to take her eyes off of him. His hand clenched around the shard; this suited him well.

But then something glinted in the corner of his eyes, and Sesshomaru slowly turned his head towards it, his eyes narrowing considerably. His hands clenched and unfurled repeatedly, but he forced himself not to move as Tetsusaiga sparkled brightly in his eyes. The priestess immediately noticed what he was looking at and darted for the sword, seemingly not caring about the consequences as long as she had some form of protection. Sesshomaru started on first impulse, his old habits nearly getting the better of him, but he pulled back. The priestess pressed her back against the wall, as if trying to blend in with the wood, and held the sword out in front of her with shaky hands.

He gave her a meaningful look, to which her terrified expression didn't give any indication that she had noticed at all. Feeling his muscles tighten with irritation, Sesshomaru stared down at Kagura for a few seconds before tossing the jewel shard at the priestess, who yelped and dodged it as if it were contaminated. Sesshomaru paused at her reaction, wondering what she would do, but knew he would have to wait. He walked to the door and paused just outside of it, giving the priestess and Kagura one last glance before leaving all together. Now wasn't the time.

Kagome watched the demon go and stared at the door for minutes after he left as if to make sure he was really gone. Still fearful that he might return, she tightened the robe around her body and averted her eyes to the dead corpse of Kagura, dropping the Tetsusaiga to the ground. Kagome felt her breath catch at the miasma that was pouring out of a large hole in the demon, but knew that she was safe from it. The huge hole in the roof would help suck it all out. Licking her lips in anxiety, Kagome slowly crawled over to the jewel shard, her eyes widening. No negative energy tainted the shard; it was still has bright as ever, which meant that Sesshomaru had pure intentions.

Shaking her head in denial, Kagome grasped the shard before slowly sliding over to Kagura, tears filling her eyes. _He_ had done this, she knew because of the miasma. She looked briefly at the door again, questions bombarding her tired mind. Why had Sesshomaru brought Kagura to her? And why had he given her the jewel shard? Surely it was because he wanted Kagome to purify the demon. A connection was made in her mind. Once Kagura was miasma free, he could revive her with Tenseiga, and she would be able to live, _truly _live.

No! Kagome's mind argued. She clenched her eyes shut, but the tears flowed regardless. She couldn't do it. If she let Sesshomaru revive her, then he would only use her for her body, just like _him_. Something in the back of her mind contradicted Kagome's belief, but she adamantly ignored it; all men were the same. She would not let Kagura suffer like she had.

But another part of her disagreed. Kagura had tried to help them; she even salvaged Shippo's innocence. Didn't she owe this to the dead demon? Kagome looked down at the pure shard in her hand, her conflicted emotions throwing her into a state of confusion. Then, without totally registering her movements, Kagome slowly brought the shard forward and pressed it against Kagura's chest, just above the gaping wound. She closed her eyes momentarily and opened them again; the miasma had dissipated, but was still lingering, attached to the body. Kagome pulled her hand back hastily, as if she had committed a crime, before biting her lip, leaving the shard in Kagura. She felt as if she had just sentenced the dead woman to a life in hell, which in a way, she had.

oOo

Far outside the castle, a war was raging on. Hundreds upon hundreds of dead bodies littered the earth; blood soaked the land and trees, most of which had been uprooted or burned to ashes. Screams and shouts could be heard for miles as demons clashed, brandishing weapons and war cries. Some demons were huge; taller than sixteen feet, while others didn't even reach up to a full three. It wasn't difficult to tell which side each demon was fighting for; a pack of wolves, alongside with several humans, fought fiercely, slicing through the bodies of their enemies, most of which were contorted grotesquely.

Naraku felt a sigh of—contentment? Malice? He couldn't decide which, as they were both the same to him, but he glared down laughingly at the scenes of destruction below him. After he had finally ridden himself of Kagura, he had walked to the premises of his castle only to discover the huge mass of wolves, all of whom stared at him in stunned silence. They opened their large jaws, but nothing but the sound of gurgling escaped them as Naraku quickly cut through them. Even the sounds of their deaths had not reached the ears of the wolf prince. He had called forth his demons, breathing in the air of his own miasma deeply as he waited. The purple gas didn't escape the bubble shape barrier Kanna had erected around him, which was why none of his enemies could sniff out where he was at the moment. He worked this to his advantage; he had a surprise on his side. Naraku smirked; not like he'd need it.

Ah, he could finally see his army of demons approaching from the horizon. He could hear the ruffles and whisper's of his enemies come to a halt as they all stared into the sky. They clearly couldn't see him thanks to the barrier, so Naraku drew a small, wooden doll from the depths of his robes and pulled a long, greasy hair from his head. He wrapped the thin string of hair tightly around the doll and clenched it tightly. Below him, mud and dirt compressed together, building on itself until it became a tall creature that formed itself clothes, grew long hair, and paled considerably, creating a double. Everyone's attention was immediately redirected toward the puppet, which had sprouted several tentacles and whipped them around threateningly. They attacked it without question, and Naraku, seeing no reason to stay, flew off out of the outer barrier of his castle and into the forest beyond.

oOo

Miroku hurriedly dodged to his right as a tentacle shot at him. With its speed and momentum, it wasn't able to retract quickly enough. It burrowed into the hard ground and Miroku stole that chance to cleave the appendage in half with his staff, his eyes darting around for more immediate signs of danger. The appendage that was in the ground wiggled as if in agonizing pain before it sank pointlessly to the ground and disintegrated into ash and dust. He moved away from it quickly, not wanting to risk impairing his vision. Something bumped into him, nearly knocking him to the ground, but Miroku regained balance and spun in a flurry of purple robes, his staff raised above his head in preparation for strike. He lowered it upon sight of Koga. The wolf demon seemed distracted by something. What was once rage on his face had rapidly transformed into confusion as he stared down at his right arm. Miroku had only seconds to contemplate the sudden realization on the demons face before another tentacle came flying at them from ahead. Koga sliced it away deftly with his claws, but before Miroku had the chance to inquire, he had sprinted away again. Miroku stared after the demon, but he only had a second to spare. Heavy tremors began to shake the ground and he nearly lost his balance again. When he regained it, he silently cursed the gods; an earthquake was the last thing they needed right now.

Spinning around, Miroku quickly examined his surroundings before fumbling with the prayer beads wrapped around his right arm. Tearing them off, he pulled back the binding and took aim towards Naraku's puppet; excess debris, severed limbs, and fallen enemies came flying towards him, but the puppet merely smirked. Miroku couldn't help the bitter smile he gave in return as the Saimyoushou finally made an appearance. He knew it would hurt from past experience, but the poison took a while to spread—hopefully he would still have enough time to take down Naraku before his own downfall.

The Saimyoushou were as close as they could get without being forcefully sucked in by his Wind Tunnel. Miroku grit his teeth, his eyes set, ready for impact, but before anything more could happen, he heard a scream from his right and turned just in time to see a bout of brown hair as a small body crashed into his, knocking his hand off course and allowing the Saimyoushou to fly right past them.

Slightly dazed, Miroku sat up and immediately covered his Wind Tunnel, hoping he hadn't accidentally sucked in any comrades by accident. Just as he finished, a small hand grabbed him by his robes and hauled him to his feet. Before he knew it, the same hand connected with his face, and this time, the slap stung more than ever before.

"Don't you _dare_—" Sango's voice found his ears and Miroku spun around in shock. For a split second, they shared eye contact, and Miroku was surprised and awed at the look she had in her eyes. She pulled her hand back for another strike, but seemed to think better of it. She lowered it to her side and shook her head. Miroku, not quite understanding, took the time to thank God that they had enough companions to get along the fight well enough that he and Sango not only didn't have to participate, but were quite well protected.

It didn't stop the extra precaution though. Sango seemed to realize this, for she grabbed him by his hand and led him under the cover of some pine trees. Between them, she raised her hand yet again for the slap, but as it came down, Miroku grabbed it and looked sternly at her.

"Save your energy," he said softly. His chest tightened slightly as he saw her lip tremble and her eyes glisten.

"Why don't you take your own advice?" she hissed back, snatching her arm out of his grip. "What do you think you're doing, using your Wind Tunnel against the Saimyoushou? Get just _one_ in and it'll kill you!"

Miroku didn't answer and averted his eyes, enraging Sango even more. He grit his teeth harshly together as he heard her breathing become labored, and when he looked back down at her, the blazing fire she had in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. Suddenly, Sango turned her back on him and ran out from the cover of the trees, back to the fight. Miroku stared after her, his own breathing suddenly labored and his blood rushing.

When Miroku returned to the fight, he made it a point to use his staff instead of the Wind Tunnel.

oOo

Sesshomaru stepped lightly onto the battle ground, his eyes scanning the horizon quickly. The first thing that caught his eyes was the horde of demons that were scattered throughout the compound; bodies littered the ground, along with blood, and the familiar stench of death penetrated his sensitive nose. Demons here and there were fighting each other like animals. Most of them, Sesshomaru noted, were wolves. The rest were demons that he knew Naraku had spawned because of their deformities.

Never taking his eyes from the gruesome scene, Sesshomaru barely lifted his foot to take a step when a small body, not even the height of his knee, slammed into his leg and clutched to him. Sesshomaru looked down, his eyes narrowed at the kitsune pup that had latched onto his being. Sesshomaru lowered his foot again and was able to feel the trembles from the pup.

Shippo buried his face into the white cloth of Sesshomaru's clothing. He was terrified out of his mind. He couldn't find Sango, Miroku, or Kirara anywhere, and was trying to run to the cover of the forest that he knew was beyond the barrier, but was too afraid to dash across the battleground. He was cowering in a small hole in the side of the manor when a huge demon suddenly skidded by him and stopped. It was too stuffy for Shippo to smell whether the demon was an ally or a wolf, but he got his answer anyway when a long, clawed hand rustled into the hole, prodding inside for the kitsune. Shippo squealed and used his foxfire, which he knew was only a temporary defense, but he had taken the time to make an escape and ran headlong into Sesshomaru. Shippo was surprised at first, but immediately used the older demon's appearance to his advantage and clung to him.

Sesshomaru glanced down at the pup with considerable disdain before slicing through Naraku's spawn with his claws; the demon was so weak that he needn't bother using his swords. When the screams of the demon died away, he returned his attention to the kitsune pup and wondered briefly what he should do with him.

Shippo looked up at his savior, his expression grateful, yet at the same time, wary. He murmured a small thanks and slowly disentangled himself from Sesshomaru's leg. Sesshomaru, sensing the kit's reluctance to let go, lifted the pup buy the neck of his haori and brought him up to eye-level. Ignoring the frightened squeak that emanated from the small fox, Sesshomaru tucked the pup against his chest and began walking, graceful as ever.

Slicing away any foe that got in his way, Sesshomaru slowed to a halt when he reached the premises of the barrier. He lowered the pup to the ground just inside the barrier, being mindful of his claws. The last thing he needed was Inuyasha raging over a poisoned pup when he was already grieving for his mate. Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk to himself when he imagined Inuyasha's surprise that he had revived the priestess.

The pup looked up at him questioningly when Sesshomaru released him. The older demon nodded pointedly towards the forest that was beyond the barrier.

"Many of the trees are hollow enough for you to hide in, pup. Wait in them." Sesshomaru then turned on his heel and strode away, withdrawing Tokijin and Bakusaiga from their sheathes as he did so.

Shippo watched him go, slightly awed, but turned quickly and exited the barrier. He felt the change immediately; the air here was much lighter, easier to breathe, most likely because the environment turned green. The trees and grass were alive outside of the barrier.

Deciding not to waste time, Shippo hurriedly sought out a hollowed out tree and climbed into it after scratching a big enough hole into the bark. There, he waited for what felt like hours, and was debating whether or not he should go back to see what was going on when an unlikely person strode into view.

"Kagome…?" Shippo wondered aloud. With sudden excitement and relief, Shippo stuck his head out of the hole to call to her, only to push himself back in, his lip trembling with fear. The woman he had mistaken for Kagome arched a fine eyebrow at the sight of him, cowering in a tree. She slowly lifted her bow.

oOo

"Kikyo."

The sound of her name drew the dead woman's attention. She slowly turned on the spot, pulling her bow in front of her and fingering an arrow as Naraku approached from behind.

He lifted an eyebrow at her notched arrow.

"My, my." His hiss of a whisper seemed to echo in the surrounding forest. "Aren't we allies now?"

He suddenly found himself face to face with an energy charged arrow. Kikyo's face was turned away from him, but she was staring at him through the corners of her eyes, and Naraku felt perverse satisfaction at the look of hatred on her face.

"You didn't hold up your end of the bargain."

Naraku felt his smirk fade slightly as her words processed through his brain.

"I felt it when the girl left this world, and yet I am not whole," Kikyo said coldly. She took careful aim at Naraku's chest, where his heart should have been, and then lowered her bow and arrow. "My soul has not returned."

A frown finally overtook the remaining smirk that was on Naraku's face. He then rearranged his features into a sadistic grin and reached his arm out to the priestess. Large tentacles sprouted from under his sleeve, each of them slithering towards Kikyo, who remained stationary until they were close enough to touch her. Lifting her bow, she brought it down like a sword on one of the appendages, and let out an involuntary gasp as her purification energy bounced away from the tentacle, leaving it perfectly intact.

Naraku gave a small, amused chuckle, and Kikyo's cold and calculating gaze turned on him. The tentacles wrapped slowly around her, and though the bright pink glow around her body should have incinerated him to a dust, it didn't harm him at all.

"You…" she hissed, and her eyes narrowed. "When I used my purification energy to protect your puppet from the girl's arrow, _you_—"

"Ah," Naraku jeered softly. His tentacles drew her struggling form towards him until he was staring her straight in the eyes. "Yes, you see, when my puppet returned with the girl, I used Kanna to absorb the purification powers you used as a barrier, and she then constructed a new form of protection for me." Now, Naraku's smirk had returned, wider than ever. "Even with the powers you have, priestess, you cannot penetrate this new barrier because it was created with your own energy, and with my dark magic added in, it has become ten times more powerful than the one you placed on my puppet. There is nothing you can do to get past this new barrier of mine.

"Of course," he continued, "I didn't expect to have to get rid of you so soon. I actually thought that my plan to return your soul would work. I'm surprised." His eyes narrowed with malice. "It looks like I might have to wait a while before I can gather all of the shards." He drew her closer to him, his eyes closing as he breathed in the scent of death that emitted from her. "How I've loved you so…" he whispered, and when his eyes opened, Kikyo once more saw her life flash before her eyes before she was gone.

* * *

Okay, WOW! I'm getting pretty tired of how long this is dragging out. I mean... Gosh, when am I going to get to the actual part that the summary of this story describes? And I still have the entire fight scene to write!

Anyway, I'm super duper sorry about the long update. Guh, I never have any real excuse. I'm just too damn lazy! Oh well... I'll try to update sooner though. No promises! But I'm going to start writing chapter 9 tomorrow (and I know I said I wouldn't update chapter 8 until chapter 9 was done but...).

Well, I have some other stuff to touch on with you guys right now.

First, I would like to give you all notice that I uploaded some Inuyasha fanart to my Deviantart account! It isn't related to this story, just some random art. So far, I have only Sesshomaru (with both of his arms), Bankotsu, and Kouga. I developed a block when I was drawing Inuyasha, so he's not finished yet. I'm going to try drawing Miroku when I have time, but that's it for now. In my opinion, the pictures are rather tasteful, and they also show quite a bit of skin. ^^" At least, Koga's does, haha. So if you want to take a look, then please just head on over to my **Profile** page, where you can find a link to my account! And if you can, please leave a reiview! I'd love to know what some of you think of my art!

Second, on a more dpressing note, I'm assuming that all of you have heard about the devastation that occured in Japan in March. My family and I were absolutely stunned that a earthquake of that magnitude could hit _anywhere_. Half of my mother's side of the family lives in Sendai. We don't talk to them personally because there is the Japanese/English language barrier, and I've only met them once in my life, but that doesn't change the fact that they are still family. My mother's parents in Hawaii talk with them a lot, but they told us that they haven't had contact with anyone since the quake and resulting tsunami. So, my loyal readers and friends, please pray with me for the safety of not only my family, but everyone else who has been affected by this disaster. Let us hope that those who have suffered losses will recover soon and that the poor souls who have been lost will find peace.

That's all for now, I suppose. I know this chapter probably wasn't up to your guys' standards (I know it wasn't for me), but please understand that I'm trying to move things along as quickly as possible with this story. It just takes a while trying to get all of the characters points of views crammed in there. Hopefully, chapter 9 will get through a lot so that I can get to the actual _plot _in this dang story, haha.

Thank you all for reading, and thank you even more for all of the wonderful reviews that you've left me so far. I really appreciate them. If you find any mistakes, please don't hesitate to infrom me.

~Miyopiyo

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	9. Control

**Summary: **_Her Purity_ revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?  
**Notes:** _Her Purity_ revised.  
**Chapter Nine: **Vengeance  
**Rating: **M

* * *

The Crown Jewel

* * *

Shippo held his breath.

His eyes were wide with fear and he was physically shaking. He watched through his spot in the hollow tree as Naraku dusted his hands as if he finished some dirty job. The older demon stared down at the pile of ash and clothing that spread about the forest floor.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

The breath that Shippo was holding came out in a very high-pitched, very audible squeak. He swallowed and kept his eyes on Naraku, trying as best he could to squeeze back further into the tree, but his worry was for nothing. Naraku seemed as surprised as Shippo was at the tremors that shook the earth beneath his feet, and Shippo's squeal of terror went unnoticed.

Naraku stared into the blank space of forest to his left, where his barrier stood erect to ward off intruders. He contemplated for a moment before stepping through, disappearing to the other side and not noticing the pair of wide, green eyes following his every movement.

When he finally left, Shippo waited for several long minutes, afraid that Naraku might come back. When he didn't, Shippo escaped his small hole, turned the opposite direction, and ran.

Now would be a good time to find another hole to hide in.

oOo

It didn't take long for Sesshomaru to find his younger half-brother.

The monstrous, pure white dog towered over the castle, its feet stomping, jaws snapping. It scooped up multiple demons within its large mouth and crushed them, and Sesshomaru couldn't help but notice that some of their allies were amongst the poor souls that fell to Inuyasha's rage.

He was out of control.

Glowering suddenly, Sesshomaru slowly sheathed Tokijin and Bakusaiga. The sound of Inuyasha's growling and roars filled his ears; all other sounds faded away until they were a dull buzz, like he was listening to them through the barrier of water. His eyes burned, and Sesshomaru knew that they had bled red, signaling his first transformation. He pressed forward towards his brother, his steps slow as his bones shifted beneath his skin.

Then he stopped, his eyes widening slightly as he stared down at his left arm. It was pulsing rapidly in an unfamiliar fashion. Ignoring it, Sesshomaru proceeded with his transformation into his full demon. He inhaled and hunched over slightly as he felt the changes within his body. He felt himself contort; his body grew, his clothes melded with his skin before long, silky tresses spilled out from his body. Sesshomaru grunted as his lips pulled back over his teeth, showing off the long fangs glistening with poison. His left paw twitched involuntarily, and Sesshomaru noted that this was his first transformation since he'd lost the appendage to the Tetsusaiga all those years ago.

When the transformation was complete, Sesshomaru stood tall on all fours, a deep rumble of a growl emitting from his chest. The sound of it echoed ominously, but was so low that no one was able to acknowledge it against the thunderous roars from Inuyasha.

He stepped forward with his left paw first, testing it. It was stronger than before. Putting more weight onto it, Sesshomaru went from a slow gait to a full sprint as he charged his brother, moving at such speed that Inuyasha didn't even know what hit him.

The two giants tumbled to the ground, rolling one on top of the other, snapping wildly as they fought for dominance. Sesshomaru knew that he had the advantage; Inuyasha had rarely been in this form before, and therefore doesn't have nearly as much experience as Sesshomaru does. However, that paired with his lack of control in this body made this battle much more difficult than it needed to be. Sesshomaru breathed heavily as Inuyasha withdrew his sharp teeth from his right arm, a low warning growl escaping him as he pushed Inuyasha off and regained his balance.

Inuyasha's bad temper and stubbornness made him a force to be reckoned with when he was in this form as well, but Sesshomaru knew that he had to restrain from killing his brother right now; getting him under control was his first priority, and the only way to do that was to prove that he was the alpha.

He charged again, tackling Inuyasha from the side as the younger demon stood. They landed heavily on the ground, their combined weight and the force of impact causing the earth beneath them to crack; they skidded across the battle ground, allies and foes alike jumping out of their way with screams of shock and terror.

Sesshomaru pinned Inuyasha to the ground, his front paws on Inuyasha's shoulder and rib cage and his teeth pinching tightly at his throat; the standard dominance position. Inuyasha struggled wildly under him, turning his head this way and that, trying to find an angle to attack. His legs thrashed, trying to dislodge the larger demon, but Sesshomaru had more leverage and pressed down harder on Inuyasha's rib cage.

"_Submit!_" Sesshomaru hissed. He bit down harder on Inuyasha's neck, just below his jaw, and allowed his teeth to sink into the skin. His venomous saliva slowly seeped into the wound, and green whirls of smoke issued from the openings. Inuyasha's struggles increased, the sound of his growls escalating as the poison spread throughout his body. Sesshomaru knew that it wouldn't be harmful (unfortunately, he thought); Inuyasha's body had gained an immunity from the last time he had poisoned him. However, he would still experience a temporary shock, which was all Sesshomaru needed.

Inuyasha's body finally went still and Sesshomaru pulled away and sat down before his paralyzed half-brother. The paralysis would only last a couple of minutes, so he'd have to be quick.

"_She is alive,_" he said simply. Inuyasha's eyes, still able to move and look around freely, snapped to Sesshomaru. The older demon growled. He could already tell that Inuyasha was processing what he just said, but he wasn't sure if Inuyasha was able to really comprehend the language of demons. He must have had some semblance of what he was talking about, because his expression was of one akin to shock, but doubt and confusion was also hidden behind his eyes.

Inuyasha's body twitched suddenly; he was gaining feeling back into his limbs and was testing them out. Sesshomaru snarled, his long ears pressed against his head as he stood; he had hoped that his poison would last a little longer, and he knew that trying the same trick wouldn't work a second time.

"_Control your temper_," he ordered. The loud growl of defiance that escaped Inuyasha was all Sesshomaru needed to pull his lips back over his teeth in a ferocious snarl. "_Listen to your alpha, pup!"_ Sesshomaru noted the look of deep concentration in Inuyasha's eyes as he tried, with all his might, to move his limbs; his hind legs twitched and his front paws were flexing.

Turning his back on his recovering brother, Sesshomaru faced the horizon, where the sun was beginning it's descent into darkness, and waited.

oOo

Kagome had no idea what she was supposed to do.

Obviously, Sesshomaru had wanted her to purify Kagura, which she had done rather grudgingly, but now that she had done that, she felt very uncomfortable sitting next to the body of the woman who tried to help her. Kagome's throat seemed to close up whenever she looked at the mutilated body next to her, and whenever she thought about what had happened, and the fact that Kagura had tried to save her from the inevitable, her eyes would water and her palms became sweaty.

Not able to bear it, Kagome stood, Tetsusaiga clutched in her hands, and fled to the door, then paused and looked back.

She couldn't just leave Kagura's body like that; she couldn't leave the one woman who tried to save her without holding a proper ceremony. Tightening the robe that once belonged to the other woman, Kagome tentatively walked back to the body and kneeled beside it, untying the knot of the yukata and wincing horribly at the large hole inflicted upon Kagura's chest. Tugging her out of the blood-stained robe, Kagome used the cleanest parts she could find to dab away at the dried blood on Kagura's face. When her face was clean of blood, Kagome slowly removed Kagura's traditional robe from her own body and carefully laid it over the owner, tugging it all the way up to cover her face.

Knowing that this was the best she would be able to do, Kagome wrapped herself in the yukata, dried with blood, and left the room.

She had no idea where she was going; every hall ended in the same shaded darkness, every corner led her to some place familiar, like she had already been there and was just travelling in circles. Tetsusaiga held out protectively in front of her, Kagome could feel her patience waning as she walked and walked along long corridors that seemed to lead her through a maze, and yet, she couldn't help but feel that something was pulling at her, telling her to turn around and head back. It was a familiar feeling, a sensation like there was a rope tied around her middle that was gently tugging her in the opposite direction. It frustrated her; she knew what this feeling was, but couldn't identify it, even though it was on the very tip of her tongue.

Kagome stopped.

There was a realization that struck her—something so important that she was absolutely astounded that it took her this long to realize it. Completely forgetting the strange yet familiar feeling she was just pondering, Kagome turned on her heel and ran back the way she came, all hesitation and self-preservation instincts gone as she burst through all the doors she came across, barely noting that the entire castle seemed to be empty save for her. It was like the castle had become larger and larger the longer she searched—pausing again to catch her breath after sprinting down a rather long corridor, Kagome clutched a stitch in her side and trekked onward, her breath coming out in quick, painful rasps. She wondered briefly if this was one of Naraku's tricks; was she meant to get lost in the castle forever? Wasting away as she sought freedom? Kagome grimaced, tormented at the thought; but it didn't matter right now. She would spend the rest of her life searching for Shippo if she needed to; she wasn't going to leave this castle without him.

With a surge of determination, Kagome pushed open the largest set of doors she came across, trying to ignore the strange tugging sensation that had been growing stronger and stronger ever since she had turned around, and after one brief glance around the room, discovered that she was not alone in the castle after all.

She screamed.

oOo

Away from the castle, the battle against good and evil raged violently on. Bodies, both mutilated and normal, were scattered as far as the eye could see; severed limbs were spotted across the horizon; a mist of blood changed the once dead and desolate field into a warzone. There was a mixed combination of screams—pain, shock, terror, and even glee were the only sounds filling the ears of the thousands who remained strong enough to fight.

Koga felt like the fighting was getting nowhere. Over and over, he would destroy the nearest demon to him, and yet two more would sprout in its place. There were now two other of Naraku's puppets in addition to the first, and no one was making any progress in taking down even one of them, and he was quickly losing his patience. Continuing on like this would just drain all the energy from him, his pack, and his allies; it was a losing battle.

Lost in his thoughts, Koga barely jumped out of the way of a tentacle that very nearly speared him and bumped into someone who had just cleaved the appendage in half. After nearly knocking the man off his feet, Koga raised his right arm in preparation for a strike when two realizations occurred to him. One was that the man whom he was about to kill was an ally—Miroku. The second, and much more detrimental realization was the fact that there was something wrong with his right arm; it was moving slower than usual, and Koga felt as though it wasn't as strong as it used to be. He stared at it, disbelief flooding him so fast that it was making his breath quicken. Ignoring Miroku's questioning look, Koga sprinted off towards the castle, hissing curses under his breath all the while.

He couldn't believe he had been so careless—he had been using the shard for so long; shouldn't he have felt it right away when it left his body? Dodging past foes attempting to cut him down, Koga sprinted as fast as he could, his tornado whipping up a fine layer of dust, dirt, and debris in his wake. He arrived at the place he had been earlier: The part of the castle that had been destroyed when he and the others had first arrived was as desolated as ever, but, throwing caution to the wind, Koga took a step towards the hall, and suddenly found himself facing a demon he never thought he would have come across.

Eyes extremely wide, he jumped back as far as he could as a huge demon—pure white with pointed ears—a _dog_—blocked his path into the castle. It had come out of nowhere. The demon pounded its huge paws into the ground, crushing those beneath it, and then it leaned forward, its mouth opening wide, and scooped up several dozen bodies into its mouth. Koga jumped out of the way, a gasp escaping him as he barely cheated death. Those in the monsters mouth screamed in terror, but the sounds were cut off abruptly as the giant snapped its mouth shut, and Koga winced as he heard the grotesque sounds of bones snapping under the pressure. The giant opened its mouth, and the bodies of those it had killed fell to the ground. The distance between the demon's mouth and the ground was immense; each body created its own crater upon impact on the hard ground. A cloud of dirt rose from under the bodies after they hit the ground and settled gently over the lifeless forms like a sick burial ceremony that forcefully reminded Koga of Kagura's first massacre on his pack many years ago.

Adrenaline pumping wildly through his system, Koga watched in shock as the monster leaned down again, but it didn't have time to scoop up another dozen demons to crush; there was a wild pounding sound, as if something huge were sprinting across the field, and Koga felt the earth shake violently as another giant dog—this one with facial markings—rammed into the first. Tackled to the ground, both dog demons skidded across the land, forcing warriors to jump out of the way, and crushing those who hadn't escaped in time. The second giant was towering over the smaller one, its head bent as it sank its teeth into the others neck. There was a great tremble; the earth itself seemed to split as Koga watched the two giants battle each other for dominance. The one that had very nearly killed Koga was snapping its large jaws, pulling its lips back to show off glistening white and dangerously sharpened canines. Koga stared at the facial markings on the larger ones face, wondering where he had seen the crescent moon and violet stripes before, and a stunning connection was made in his head.

"_Sesshomaru?_" he rasped out. He had never seen the Lord of the West in his true demon from before. His size alone was enough to stun anyone. Koga stared briefly before shaking his head. He had more important things to do than gawk over big dogs.

More determined than ever before, Koga turned on his heel and rushed into the castle.

oOo

"Get back!"

The yell of warning went unnoticed amongst the chaos. Miroku jumped forward and pushed Sango roughly to the side before rushing away again, barely escaping a large, clawed hand as it came swinging down where he was only seconds before. The demon to whom the clawed hand belonged over-shot, and its hand sunk deep into the ground. Stealing his chance, Miroku decapitated the demon with ease and quickly returned to destroying others around it.

"Thanks!" Sango shouted. Miroku, who was busy trying to fend off a rather aggressive bird demon, merely grunted in return. He had lost track of time a while ago, and so had no idea how long they had been fighting this battle. All he knew was that he was beginning to get tired; his muscles were sore, and his breath was quickening the longer he moved. Much more of this, and he'd be out.

Purifying the bird demon with one of the few sutra's he had left (his stash was beginning to deplete itself, an ominous sign, as he had had several hundred before the battle started), Miroku spun around to check on Sango's progress. She, as he expected, was keeping well on her own, but she too sported the familiar signs of exhaustion. Her bangs were plastered to her face with sweat, her eyes were tired, and Miroku noticed that her movements were slowing. Glancing quickly around them, Miroku gathered that they had enough allies to get along with the fight without them for a few minutes and, purifying any demon that got in his way, ran to Sango and ushered her down a steep slope under the protection of several large, dead trees.

The look she gave him was menacing, and he knew that if she had enough breath to speak, she would be asking "What the hell do you think you're doing?". However, she merely shoved her elbow into his gut and tried climbing her way out of the small ditch, but didn't last long; her limbs were shaking so badly that it was very soon when she collapsed, clutching her large boomerang. It was then that Miroku realized that his body was shaking also, and he slowly sank down beside her, cupping her face. She had closed her eyes and was breathing heavily, and her face had become flustered from all of the fighting. She had never looked so gorgeous.

"Hands off," Sango said softly, and Miroku was surprised that he could even hear her above all the catastrophe going on several feet above them. Laughing in a pained sort of way nonetheless, he removed his hands and cupped her own.

"You need to rest..." Miroku reprimanded gently. Sango opened her eyes and stared at him, and the fire that Miroku was so used to seeing burned as brightly as ever before. He smirked at her and nodded.

Minutes later, the battlefield saw the return of the priest and demon slayer.

* * *

****Important Note****

Okay, begin raging... NOW.

I know, I know. I took forever and a year to upload this dang chapter. And I know that it's not as long as the others, too.

"Miyopiyo, what the hell you doin'?" some of you may be asking. Well, I'm going to be VERY honest with you guys. I've reached a point in my life where I don't really think writing is a suitable outlet for me anymore. What do I mean? Well, I had always used creative writing as a sort of vent to siphon off my feelings, as I'm sure is the same for some of you who are reading this. I've been writing for so long that, well, I suppose it's really become quite a boring hobby now.

I will guarantee to you guys that there will be ONE more chapter to this story (that does not mean the story is ending)-I have big news to tell you all, but I don't want to break it to you just yet. However, until that time, I would like you to consider that this story is on **hiatus_._** I know you guys don't want to hear that, but there it is. Not only this story, but also everything related to my fanfiction life. And I don't want you guys to get too excited at the prospect of another chapter-though I guarantee that there WILL be one, it will not be out for a while. And after that chapter is up, I'm gone. I'll be too busy to upload any more chapters after that. I'll try as hard as I can, but DO NOT expect anything from me for the next several years.

HOWEVER, if you guys still want to keep in contact, then please shoot me a Private Message by going to my Profile! Really, your guys' reviews are great and thank you all for taking the time leave your opinions, but there is no greater happiness to me than seeing a message in my inbox asking me to be friends with you. I really want to get to know each and every one of you guys, and though I can't devote my time to fanfiction or writing, it's a completely different story when it comes to making new friends. So, send me an email or something! You can talk about whatever you want-the weather, the color you painted your bedroom, even if there's an annoying fly buzzing around your head, I don't care! I'll respond to you, I promise.

My only request from you guys is that, if you do decide to make friends with me, DO NOT ASK ME TO READ ONE OF YOUR STORIES OR TO BECOME BETA FOR YOUR WORK. If you already asked me before I posted this chapter, of course it doesn't apply to you, but my beta status is now unavailable. As I said before, I will spend time just chatting with you guys for fun, but I can't use up time to edit or read/review your stories. I'm sure they're good ones, but just be patient and ask me again when I come back to being a full-time writer.

Love you all,

~Miyopiyo


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